Brentwood officials describe storm damage, expect mayoral emergency declaration; crews begin debris removal

Brentwood officials on May 19 described widespread storm damage from the overnight event on May 16, said mutual‑aid crews have begun clearing streets and debris, and said they expect Mayor David Dimmit to issue an emergency declaration authorizing an expedited cleanup and limited fee waivers.

"The storms resulted in widespread damage and destruction of property of such severity as to affect the public generally and pose a reasonable risk to the public health and safety and welfare within the city," the city administrator told the Board of Aldermen, and added that the city expects the mayor "will declare the need for an emergency response in areas of the city affected by the storm." The administrator said the declaration would give the city authority to temporarily change collection rules, waive certain fees and coordinate contractor support under the city's purchasing policy.

The declaration is an executive action by the mayor that, according to the city administrator, does not require Board of Aldermen approval. The administrator also said state and federal aid may be available: she reported the governor has asked the president to issue a federal emergency declaration that, if granted, "will provide direct federal assistance of up to $5,000,000 in immediate funding to the state to support emergency protective measures and debris removal." The administrator attributed that description of potential federal aid to discussions occurring with state officials.

Police and fire officials described response activity during and after the storm. The police chief told the board the department responded to 51 storm‑related calls for service from the time the storm hit through midnight and assisted with downed power lines, blocked streets and traffic crashes. The police chief said some dispatch records were likely underreported because the regional dispatch center was "inundated with calls." The chief said officers assisted nearby Clayton with a mutual‑aid response and sent personnel there on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Brentwood Fire Department leaders said they opened an area command post at the fire station shortly after the storm and coordinated mutual‑aid resources for the east St. Louis County area from that location. The fire chief said Brentwood crews conducted primary and secondary searches in nearby Richmond Heights and Clayton, used the department's drone for damage assessment and deployed a Polaris UTV to access damaged streets. The fire chief said there were two storm‑related injuries in Brentwood requiring extrication and that one Brentwood firefighter was deployed as part of a Missouri task force to an urban search-and-rescue mission in the city of St. Louis and returned Sunday.

Public works reported crews and contractors were already clearing debris. Public works staff said an initial mutual‑aid crew from the city of Saint Ann arrived with a chipper, a bobcat and six employees; the city expected additional help from Baldwin. The public works representative said Davy Tree had been on scene quickly to remove several large trees and that crews were prioritizing heavy‑debris areas in Ward 1 before rotating through other wards. Staff asked residents to place debris curbside where practical (but said crews will not enter private backyards) and said the city had received more than 50 resident requests for debris removal.

Officials also stressed that the city has a standing public works mutual‑aid agreement with 16 municipalities and county agencies that can be activated for events like this; the city administrator cited that agreement as previously authorized under state statute 44.415.

Board members thanked public works, police and fire personnel for rapid response and asked staff to add an end date to the mayor's anticipated emergency declaration; the city administrator said staff would revise the draft emergency declaration accordingly before the mayor signs it.

Officials said data collection and after‑action reporting will continue, and the fire department said it plans a fuller presentation with statistics at the board's upcoming public safety meeting.