Carol Venegoni, who was affected by March tornado, is among dozens of volunteers helping Catholic Charities with requests for assistance
Just a few months after her house was struck by a tornado, Carol Venegoni changed her perspective when she saw how she could help others in a similar situation.
Widespread storms that swept through Missouri on March 14 produced at least 13 tornadoes across the state, including one that came through parts of Arnold and south St. Louis County, where Venegoni lives. She had extensive roof and siding damage, as well as damage to a fence and an air conditioning unit on her property.
“I was complaining and moaning and groaning to anybody to listen about how bad my house looked,” Venegoni said. “Then I heard about the (St. Louis) city tornado and was really kind of ashamed, because although my house doesn’t look good, I have four walls and a roof over my head, and many of these folks have nothing. It put things into perspective.”
Venegoni is a parish ambassador for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, representing Queen of All Saints in Oakville. She also serves as a Catholic Charities volunteer care coordinator for the archdiocese’s Southern Vicariate. In her role as a parish ambassador, she keeps parishioners informed about the work of Catholic Charities, letting them know about fundraising events, the work that is done in the community as well as advocacy efforts.
Not long after the May 16 tornado in St. Louis, Catholic Charities set up a call center to respond to more than 3,000 requests for assistance. Venegoni and more than 30 volunteers have been calling individuals one by one to direct them to resources and see what kind of short- and long-term assistance Catholic Charities can help with.
“In most cases, we don’t know what they need,” she said. “We call them and ask, are you in a safe place? Tell me a little bit about what’s going on. Tell me the condition of the house and where you’re at. Most of them are just very overwhelmed.”
Requests for assistance have ranged anywhere from those who lost power for several days and needed to replenish their food supply, to others whose homes were completely destroyed. Venegoni said the number one issue she’s encountered are people who need assistance with housing, whether that’s repairs to an existing structure or needing a new place to stay.
“If you don’t have four walls and a roof — and most of these people have children or they’re taking care of elderly parents or an aunt or an uncle or somebody — now they’re not only not able to help them, but they’re not able to help themselves,” she said.
Venegoni shared a story about a mom and her children who decided to stay in their severely damaged home. The roof had been covered with a tarp, but parts of the house were still exposed to the elements, as evidenced by gaping cracks in the brick walls. While she was on the phone, one of the children observed a bird flying inside the house.
“I told her, I’m really proud of you, how well you’ve done with keeping the kids upbeat,” Venegoni said. “She didn’t ask for help, because ‘there are people who are worse off than her,’ — her wording.”
They’ve also provided guidance to callers on applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aid, which was approved by President Donald Trump earlier in June. Individuals can receive up to $770 for immediate needs, plus up to $43,600 for housing assistance. They also can receive up to $43,600 more for other needs.
Venegoni said the majority of people she’s spoken to, both renters and homeowners, either have limited or no insurance coverage. Some homeowners have difficulties getting insurance because of the area where they live, the cost or other special circumstances.
“One lady that we talked to is in a ‘historical district.’ Nobody would insure her because she has an old-fashioned slate roof. So she had no insurance through no (fault) of her own.”
Venegoni said she’s grateful to offer a listening ear and get people connected to the help that they need. “When we call back, we ask, have they been able to make contact with other agencies or organizations as of yet, and nine times out of 10, nobody’s called then back yet. It’s because it’s such a wide disaster and all the organizations are overwhelmed.”
A woman she recently spoke with just kept saying, “you’ve turned my whole life around today,” Venegoni said. “All I did was give her some comfort in knowing that somebody’s listening, and now she has a list that she can start working on to help put some of the pieces back into place.”
