Tornado victims want answers as they reach one year anniversary and still haven’t received recovery aid

BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo. (KBSI) – Residents affected by the Bollinger County tornado say they’ve felt alone in the recovery process and have received little to no help with rebuilding and they want answers.

Its been close to a year since a devastating tornado swept through Bollinger County.

People lost their lives, their homes, and were left to pick up the pieces.

 Community members say they were told they would receive aid but its nearly a year later and help still hasn’t arrived. 

“They needed food, they needed shelter, their clothes was ruined, the list goes on and on.” 

Glen Allen resident Mellissa Shands explains the trials that people in the small community are still going through. Shands and her husband lost two homes in the tornado as well. Shands says she was told to contact Catholic Charities for help after the tornado, but when she would call the agency, she never received answers. 

 “That I would get a call back, I lost two homes and that I would get a phone call back but I never got a phone call back. I called back and we never did hear nothing back again.” 

Shands is far from the only resident frustrated and struggling. John Stanfill is another resident in Glen Allen who’s home was badly damaged by the 2023 tornado.  

“I haven’t seen nothing from catholic charities. The most people that’s helped me is the east Missouri action agency they donated the doors for the front and the side and they got me the help to get my roof repaired.” 

On April 29th of 2023, Twin Bridges campground hosted a benefit UTV ride and auction that raised $55,556 for tornado victims. Organizers of the benefit say they gave the money to catholic charities to disperse to victims. But the victims say they never received anything… 

FOX23 reached out to Catholic Charities to ask why residents haven’t gotten any help and to get answers.

Catholic Charities CEO Ken Palermo stated that dispersing funding is a long-term process, and since the area saw two natural disasters close together it caused issues with funding.  

As for the money raised from the benefit ride Palermo says they are not in charge of that account and that the Bollinger County long-term recovery committee is in charge of those funds.

The committee stated the funds are sitting in an account at a bank in Marble Hill waiting to be dispersed.  

On April 29, 2023, twin bridges campground hosted a benefit UTV ride and auction that raised $55,556 for tornado victims. Organizers of the benefit say they gave the money to catholic charities to disperse to victims. But the victims say they never received anything… 

I reached out to catholic charities to ask why residents haven’t gotten any help and to track down where the funding went. Catholic charities CEO ken Palermo told me that dispersing funding is a long-term process, and since the area saw two natural disasters close together it caused issues with funding.  

As for the money raised from the benefit ride Palermo says they are not in charge of that account, but the Bollinger County Long-term Recovery Committee is in charge of those funds.

The committee stated the funds are sitting in an account in a bank in Marble Hill waiting to be dispersed.  

A press release by the East Missouri Action Agency, states that they are taking over case management services for Bollinger County Long-term Recovery Committee, which was previously handled by Catholic Charities.

EMAA says they do not have control over the donated funds and will relay case review to the Bollinger County Long-term Recovery Committee, to make decisions. Staff will be in Bollinger County Monday, March 25, to meet with people who need help.

For anyone who has additional questions an informational meeting is set for the Bollinger County tornado and flood victims.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday April 3rd in the safe room of the Bollinger County health center from 5:30-7:00pm.