Latest news with #St.Louisans'
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
St. Louis emergency official removed after tornado kills five without warning siren
St. Louis emergency official removed after tornado kills five without warning siren Mayor Cara Spencer said residents were not alerted to 'the most horrific and deadly storm our city has seen in my lifetime.' Show Caption Hide Caption St. Louis construction workers survive tornado in their truck St. Louis construction workers took shelter in their truck when a tornado ripped through the area. St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer will seek a new top emergency official after warning sirens failed to be activated ahead of what she called 'the most horrific and deadly storm our city has seen in my lifetime,' including a tornado that killed five people and injured dozens. Spencer placed Sarah Russell, commissioner of the City Emergency Management Agency, on administrative leave and said the department would be led by Fire Captain John Walk 'until a permanent commissioner has been found,'' according to a statement from the mayor's office. Russell and her staff were away from the office May 16 as the expected storm bore down on St. Louis, and they could not press the button to activate the alarm warning residents of the impending tornado danger, the statement said. The mayor's office said Russell reached out to the fire department but 'the directive to activate the sirens was ambiguous, which cannot happen when a tornado is sweeping through our City and St. Louisans' safety depends on being alerted immediately.'' Spencer has since changed the protocol so the fire department will be in charge of activating the sirens, her office said. The National Weather Service said at least half a dozen tornadoes struck Missouri and neighboring Illinois. According to officials, at least 5,000 properties were damaged in St. Louis. The twisters were part of a major system of severe weather that tore through the Upper Midwest and some of the eastern states on May 16, killing more than 30 and leaving many damaged homes and downed power lines. Spencer estimated the damage in St. Louis at around $1 billion. She and other Missouri officials have complained that federal response to the disaster hasn't mobilized quickly enough, saying the Federal Emergency Management Agency had no presence on the ground as of May 19. 'On the local level, every organization, community member, elected official, has been on point,'' Spencer told MSNBC. 'What we need right now is federal assistance. This is what the federal government is for.'' Contributing: Mike Snider and Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill on SLMPD control faces one last vote before heading to Kehoe's desk
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Senate gave its final approval to a public safety measure that would give control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to a governor-appointed board of police commissioners. The proposal now awaits likely approval from the Missouri House. After a string of amendments and changes to appeal to more legislators, House Bill 495 was truly passed out of the Senate late Monday afternoon. Procedural rules also forced the Senate to vote on the measure twice, once last Thursday and then again today after having to go through the fiscal oversight process. The final vote in the Senate was 27 to 5. Senators also voted on an emergency clause for the bill that will expedite its implementation as early as August. The vote for the emergency clause was 25 to 7. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Last week, Gov. Mike Kehoe said he was looking forward to signing the bill this week. The GOP governor, who is from north St. Louis, says the model in place before the 2013 swapping of power worked for the citizens and the police officers of St. Louis. 'We think it's a good model to have happen,' he said. 'We're taking politics out of that.' When asked about the future of St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy, Kehoe signaled support for the chief, saying Tracy is moving the department in the right direction. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones also issued a statement regarding the takeover bill. 'This effort to take away St. Louisans' control of their own police department is in line with the cowardly attempts at autocracy we are seeing at the national level,' Jones said. 'I cannot and will not sit down and allow this complete disregard for democracy to compromise the safety of our residents for political gain. This fight is far from over.' The Missouri House is currently in session and could vote on the measure at any time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
