ST. LOUIS – Four months after the May 16 tornado, Arthur Dunlap said he is finally seeing progress on the recovery efforts near his home. The Air Force veteran pleaded with city officials back in August to save his 63-year-old home, which was leaning.

“It’s not supposed to be this way. Not in America, the richest and powerful country,” Dunlap said.

When FOX 2 News first visited Dunlap’s home, the front door to his neighboring home was leaning on Dunlap’s, which Dunlap said compromised the structure of his home. He applied for federal assistance through FEMA but wasn’t quoted enough to cover the damages and debris removal.

Dunlap was able to secure more assistance and caught the eyes of thousands with his story, including State Representative Kimberly Ann Collins.

“She told me she got so many calls, thousands of calls, and I was like, ‘I’m that important?’” Dunlap said. “Now I don’t have to face it all by myself.”

Collins said the neighboring home is being prepared for removal, and they are waiting for the city and contractors to disconnect utilities and work out insurance coverage.

“I guess it’s just patience,” Dunlap said. “But I can sit on my porch, and I can look across there, and I don’t see all that debris.”

While Arthur said there is still a long way to go before his home and neighborhood are back to normal, he’s just glad someone heard his cry for help.

“I say don’t give up,” Dunlap said. “You have to stay on them, call your representatives, call your [aldermen]. That’s the only thing you can do because if they don’t know about you, then you know they don’t know about you.”