St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer says changes at the federal level hobbled the city’s tornado response in the first 100 days after the spring storm.

“Right off the bat when the tornado hit, you know, our office was really gobsmacked, if you will, by the lack of engagement, the direct engagement on the federal front,” Spencer said Friday.

There is still significant work ahead as St. Louis continues to recover from the May 16 tornado, including massive amounts of debris removal that Spencer said would be best handled by the Army Corps of Engineers.

“It would take years for the city to be able to administer that level of contracts and really do that enormous amount of work,” Spencer said. “I think if we can get the Army Corps here, we’ll see that accelerated tremendously, and that’s why we’re

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