Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Disaster Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
St. Louis County Executive outlines tornado response, mutual aid and public-safety guidance
Summary
St. Louis County Executive reported on storm response after a tornado struck parts of Clayton, Richmond Heights and University City, described intergovernmental cleanup work, urged residents to treat intersections with dark traffic signals as four-way stops, warned about disaster scams and thanked state and federal officials for assistance.
St. Louis County Executive told the County Council Tuesday that county crews worked with municipal partners after a tornado that began in Clayton moved through Richmond Heights and University City, damaging homes, businesses and schools.
The executive said county Transportation and Public Works and Parks personnel helped municipal crews clear downed trees and debris so emergency medical services could reach residents. "Time matters in a disaster, and their swift response helped to protect lives," the executive said.
The county executive said the focus from the start was on people and on supporting the hardest-hit neighborhoods. He said the county extended support services to the City of St. Louis for traffic control and debris removal and asked residents to report intersections with dark traffic lights, adding: "Any intersection where street lights are still out should be treated as a 4 way stop." He also warned residents to verify contractors and check licensing before paying for cleanup work, repeating guidance from the county’s public-safety briefing.
Council members were thanked for relaying neighborhood damage reports and traffic-light outages to county staff. The executive listed municipal partners by name and thanked utility and first-responder crews, volunteers and state and federal officials for help during recovery.
The report noted specific county park impacts: Jefferson Barracks and Tillis Parks sustained significant damage and remain under cleanup even as they have reopened. The county executive said crews in Clayton would begin removing tree and vegetation debris from streets, sidewalks and tree lawns starting the day after the meeting.
The executive also invited council members to an upcoming committee briefing on shelter staffing and training and handed out invitations for the opening of the new U.S. Handball Center in Hazelwood.
Looking ahead, the county urged residents with debris on private property in unincorporated areas to coordinate with their trash haulers for pickup. The executive closed by thanking volunteers and reminding the public to be vigilant about disaster scams.
