Franklin County emergency response: EMA, road-and-bridge report continued storm recovery

County emergency management and road-and-bridge officials told the Franklin County Commission on Jan. 7 that coordinated response efforts limited prolonged closures during a winter storm that began Sunday and produced ice, sleet and snow across the county.

Abe, the county emergency management director, said the office activated at the command level, convened daily stakeholder calls that included police, fire, EMS, utilities, hospitals, road-and-bridge and state partners, and ran a 2 p.m. coordination call during the storm. He said coordination helped keep most locations moving and that Missouri National Guard personnel assisted in the St. Clair area.

Why it matters: County officials said the coordination reduced the length and severity of local travel disruptions and ensured consistent lines of communication between municipalities and response agencies during a declared state of emergency.

What officials reported: Abe said some locations remained difficult for EMS transports because residents could not clear driveways and sidewalks; overall, officials did not record any prolonged mass lockdowns, and service interruptions were described as temporary. "We didn't have major shutdowns where citizens were locked for more than maybe 2 or 3 hours, but we got everybody rolling," Abe said.

Jim Grutch, road-and-bridge director, described conditions that followed: an early layer of frozen sleet and ice had packed down before snowfall, which required repeated plowing and treatment. He said crews worked 12-hour days, one truck experienced a water-pump failure, and trucks slid off roads but were recovered with county equipment. Grutch said the county is issuing a purchase order for additional salt and expects deliveries; two new tandem dump trucks with spreaders and plows are scheduled to arrive Feb. 1. "We anticipate that by Thursday night, we will have 98% of the county all cleaned off down to pavement," Grutch said.

Commission remarks: The commission chair praised communications staff and emergency and road crews for their work during the event, noting that some staff stayed overnight to maintain dispatching services. The chair also reported having visited communications and the road-and-bridge shed over the weekend and expressed appreciation for staff efforts.

Logistics and next steps: County staff will continue monitoring transport times for EMS, accept deliveries of additional salt, place new equipment into service when received and maintain coordination with state agencies. No formal commission action was required for the operational updates.

Ending: County officials asked residents to report problem areas to the county so crews can respond; county leadership said they will continue monitoring conditions and support municipal partners as needed.