No Security Deposit Refund

I posted this elsewhere - just looking for other possible ideas on what [else] I can do while I draft a letter and check out affordable attorneys. Sorry if this isn't the right place to post.

TLDR; I am wondering what I can do about not receiving a deposit refund after a storm destroyed our apartment.

Edit: I realize emailing them is nearly pointless by now. They change companies so often that the emails are always changing. No set email for just the leasing office. It constantly changes. Every email I sent this past week came back saying the address is incorrect or incomplete. I hope this doesn't affect anything negatively for me regarding proof of a promised refund.

Location: St. Louis, MO

Last May, the big St. Louis tornado hit and destroyed multiple apartment buildings, and ours was one that took a huge hit. Windows completely gone, doors all broken off, the ceiling even fell into our living room. I lost nearly all of my belongings. I was immediately told by the property manager at the time that I would receive a deposit refund ($1100, I received that in writing as well) but the city apartments tend to switch property managers nearly every few months, so every time I called, usually new people answered and didn't know the situation. I would always explain it to them, give them my email and number for a follow-up, even email them so they would have my exact email, and I never received a single follow-up.

Eventually, one lady anawered and informed me that they have multiple tenants expecting deposit refunds and only one has taken legal action to sue. I asked what was preventing me from receiving my refund, and she told me they didn't have the funds to give me said refund. She suggested I also get an attorney, after promising to get information from her boss and reach back out to me. To no surprise, I never received that follow-up. It has been about a couple weeks since then, and I don't know what I can do. I don't have the means to hire an attorney for this. Even if I did, I'd likely be out at least a few thousand over just getting a thousand, right? This is why I think I was told to just get an attorney - the property managers know a lot of us who lived there don't have the money to take legal action over this, so we might just be at a loss.

I'm just wondering, is there actually anything I can do to get my money back? Without pouring out my own money and being out even more? I just want the refund I was promised. It is coming up on a full year since the storm, and I have only been able to get ahold of them three times by phone. They don't answer emails or ever call back, and I'm staying at a place nearly two hours away from the apartment, so it's not like I can just show up everyday until I do get it.