ST. LOUIS–City leaders say from the streets to the seniors, they believe they’re ready for this weekend’s winter storm.
During a Friday briefing, the Streets department director, Betherny Williams, said the departmet will prioritize main roads before side roads and hills. Staffing doesn’t look to be a problem this time as they have over 50 drivers, enough to operate 24 hours to clear streets. Drivers are being asked to give plows room to operate and additional tips are on the city’s cold weather page.
Commissioner Sarah Russell with the city’s Emergency Management Agency said the temperatures will plummet with severely cold winds. She said people need to keep an eye on each other and check in on the elderly in particular.
There are also services available to help those stay warm. Adam Pearson, the Department of Human Services director, says the department has partnered with five senior centers to open their doors as warming centers. Libraries are offering a chance to avoid the cold air too. The department added pop-up shelters but due to staffing, not all of them operate seven days a week.
While DHS isn’t operating a warming bus this year, they noted others are. Instead, they opted to prioritize 100 additional shelter beds that were acquired in 2024. Their outreach team looks to find what people need and connect them with partners to help various services.
Garon Mosby with the St. Louis Fire Department urged those using space heaters to follow the manuracturers instructions.
“If you leave the room, cut it off.” Mosby notes the uptick in fires this time of year are often due to space heaters.
He also asked people to avoid parking in front of fire hydrants. If possible, he says the department would like people to clear snow from the hydrants just in case of an emergency.
And Sunday is expected to be a busy travel day at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Twenty-thousand travelers are booked for outbound flights but airport director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge says most airlines waived the change fee to allow travelers to reschedule.
Also if flights are canceled, she wants travelers to contact the airline as the airport rarely is responsible for flight cancelations. Nevertheless, they will have teams working around the clock with supplemental staff. She says they’re ready to push snow off the run ways and taxi ways. Snow shouldn’t limit airport operations but icing could result in airlines to cancel flights.