Imagine your home getting caught in a tornado. Between the terror and the damage caused by the storm system, you’d think you’d already been put through the wringer and spit back out the other side. But for one St. Louis, Missouri, homeowner, what came after the tornado may have been more stressful.
Linda Smotherman told First Alert 4 about her experience with the city’s home repair program, which she turned to after a May 16, 2026, tornado caused massive damage to her house. Almost three months later, the city is ready to have Smotherman sign off on the repairs they completed, but the homeowner says, “Not so fast.”
That’s because she says that the work wasn’t exactly up to par, citing mold, smells, and poor insulation among her many complaints. However, the city claims that the repairs are up to code, and they are ready to move on from the project.
Now, the two are in a standoff over what should happen next, while Smotherman refuses to enter a home she doesn’t feel safe in.
The City Offered Smotherman Temporary Housing After the Tornado
The City’s Building Division and the STLRecovers team worked together to help residents after the May storm caused significant damage to the area. Smotherman tells First Alert 4 that the aid included things like temporary housing, food, and even some replacement furniture while they worked on repairs. However, when it came time for Smotherman to return to the home she’s lived in for almost three decades, she claimed that the work the city said they had been working on was never actually finished.
“When they started on it, and they didn’t complete it,” Smotherman said. “You know, they just wanted to get in and get out. And now they want me to sign the paperwork, and I don’t know why because I’m not satisfied.”
Some of her complaints include a poorly insulated roof, which she says has forced her to sleep on a sofa in her living room to escape the heat. Additionally, she believes that she’s spotted mold in her kitchen, as well as a water leak, which is still allowing rain to enter the home.
“What’s sanitary? And the house is smelling like this,” she asked, claiming that it wasn’t even safe for her to be staying in the home in this condition.
The City Insists That the Home Passed an Inspection
While Smotherman has her complaints about the level of workmanship, the city insists that it’s held up its end of the bargain by fulfilling the contract that both parties signed. “All work included in that scope has been completed and has passed required inspections by both,” the City’s Building Division and the STLRecovers team, Chief Recovery Officer Julian Knicks said in a statement to First Alert 4.
It seems like the sticking point is whether the improvements Smotherman still expects the city to make are within the scope of the contract that was signed, or if they fall under the homeowner’s responsibility.
“I didn’t want them to redo my whole house,” she told the outlet. “I wanted them to repair my house. I didn’t want them to redo it. Repair it. Fix the walls.”
Smotherman would hardly be the first homeowner to feel like a contractor didn’t deliver on what they promised. Her situation may be slightly complicated by the fact that this was a city-run repair program that was likely funded by the government in some way. However, homeowners who hire contractors definitely have some recourse when they believe the terms of their agreement aren’t being upheld.
According to the Weiner Shearouse legal blog, a breach of contract is what happens when one party doesn’t complete their obligations as defined by a mutually signed agreement. Unfortunately, these breaches often require getting lawyers involved when both parties fail to come to an agreement on their own. This is something that could put a financial hardship on some, making it very important to review and understand any contract you’re entering into before you sign it.
Hopefully Smotherman can get her home repaired in a way that makes it safe to live there again. You have to imagine that this has been a very stressful few months for her, and she probably just wants a chance to sleep soundly (and safely) in her own bed again.