Today, we headed to the Central West End for some holiday shopping at Left Bank Books. I got one book and ordered another, while Anne got a whole basket load of books. Talking with the salesclerk at checkout, Anne mentioned that her sister works for BINC. To which the clerk responded that BINC had helped him to replace his car, after last summer’s tornado had destroyed his existing vehicle. Driving on Lindell, along the north edge of the park there is still plenty of storm damage left to be seen. Dozens of century-old, stately mansions still sport “shower caps”, what we call the white plastic wrappings installed after the storm to protect these houses when their slate and tile roofs were ripped off by the tornado. Trump has instructed FEMA not to offer any Federal aid to Saint Louis for this storm, so homeowners are left to their own devices. The mansion owners surely have insurance, and will likely be alright, but after the storm ravaged the park’s environs, it headed into north Saint Louis, which is black and poor and where many will not recover. Charity is all that they have to rely on now.