Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Emergency management briefs commission on July 4 storm: 86 storm-related calls, no reported fatalities
Summary
Emergency management staff said a severe July 4 thunderstorm generated about 86 storm-related calls across multiple agencies, strained resources with up to 58 simultaneous active calls, produced straight-line winds consistent with up to 105 mph, and prompted mutual-aid responses and public requests to submit damage assessments.
An emergency management official briefed the Cole County Commission on the multi-jurisdiction response to a severe thunderstorm that occurred during July 4 events.
The official reported approximately 1,500 people attended July 4 events and that, during a roughly nine-hour period from mid-afternoon to midnight, agencies fielded about 86 storm-related calls across public-safety partners. At the incident height the county experienced as many as 58 simultaneous active calls for service. "We responded to 86 storm related calls...we had up to 58 active calls" the official said, and added there were no reported injuries or destroyed/uninhabitable structures reported to date.
Drone reconnaissance and National Weather Service assessment concluded damage consistent with a straight-line wind event up to 105 miles per hour. Utilities reported sustained outages: Ameren cited about 5,000 customers without service in Central Missouri and a regional provider (3 Rivers) cited 29 residences without power in their service area as of the last update; officials said utilities expected to restore most service later the same day.
The emergency management official said the county coordinated with neighboring Osage County under an existing mutual-aid agreement to access areas that are only reachable through Cole County roads. The official asked residents to submit property damage assessments via the county’s online damage-assessment tool (link posted at jcmoe.gov/stormrecovery) so staff can determine whether directed federal assistance programs could apply.
Commissioners and staff discussed yard-waste and tree-removal policy options; staff noted elected officials would need to decide if the county should provide green-waste services beyond current capacity. Officials said the command center and pre-planning for July 4 helped triage response and that they expected one more public update later in the day.
