EMA, road crews report coordinated storm response; county expects 98% of roads cleared by Thursday

County emergency management and road-and-bridge officials briefed the Franklin County Commission on storm response during the Jan. 7 meeting, reporting regional coordination with municipalities, Missouri State Highway Patrol, MoDOT and the Missouri National Guard and outlining steps to clear roads and maintain emergency transport.

Abe, the county's emergency management director, said the county activated a command-level coordination call with police, fire, EMS, utilities, hospitals, road-and-bridge crews and municipal partners to align response efforts. He reported the National Guard assisted in the St. Clair area and that tractor-trailer traffic caused localized slowdowns as vehicles became bogged down and difficult to treat with road salt.

Jim Grutch, Road and Bridge staff, described field operations and equipment status: crews ran plows and salt through long shifts, one truck experienced a water-pump failure, trucks slid off roads and were pulled free with county equipment, and additional salt was ordered via purchase order. "We anticipate that by Thursday night, we will have 98% of the county all cleaned off down to pavement," Grutch said. He also said two new tandem dump trucks with spreaders and plows are scheduled for delivery on Feb. 1; one additional truck on the lot will receive a spreader and plow in February.

Officials said EMS response times could be impacted in some areas where residents could not clear driveways and sidewalks. The EMA director and commissioners thanked communications and operations staff for overnight and extended work during the storm.

The commission did not take formal action on the report; the briefing was informational and followed earlier agenda approvals.