Public Safety Director's Spotlight - Severe Weather

March 7 – 11 has been set aside as Missouri’s 2011 Severe Weather Awareness Week. The City of St. Louis will be participating in the statewide tornado drill at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10 by sounding its outdoor warning sirens. The goal of setting aside this week each year is to save lives. The annual tornado drill serves as a reminder that all of us need to plan for weather emergencies. And as everyone in St. Louis knows, Mother Nature can and has brought us not only ice and snow in the winter, but tornadoes as well. So it pays to have an emergency plan ready to put into action at a moment’s notice.

This week is a good time to review with your family the fact that you need to take shelter whenever a tornado warning has been issued. An interior room without windows on the lowest floor is the safest shelter location. If you are driving, stop and seek shelter in a nearby building. If you are driving in a rural area, your safest option might be driving away from the tornado’s path. Also, always be mindful of flash flooding. Never drive into standing water. For more tips on preparing for emergencies, visit the City Emergency Management Agency’s website: http://stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/public-safety/emergency-management/Be-Prepared.cfm .

 

I also want to let you know that the St. Louis Regional Disaster Preparedness Public Awareness Campaign is off and running! The All Ready? initiative is encouraging all residents of the St. Louis region to be prepared for any emergency by 1) making a plan, 2) having an emergency kit, and 3) being informed. For more information about the campaign, visit http://www.allreadystl.com/ .

 

There are a number of fun, informative, and exciting events scheduled this weekend in St. Louis. I’ve highlighted several of them below and encourage you to stop by and take advantage of all that our great City neighborhoods have to offer. See you in the neighborhood!

 

 

MoDOT Informational Public Meeting

 

MoDOT is planning to replace the Jamieson Avenue Bridge over Interstate 44. From 4 – 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, MoDOT will hold an informational public meeting at Southwest Baptist Church, located at 6401 Scanlan. Maps and other detailed project information will be available at the meeting. If you are not able to attend, you will be able to review the material over the web at: http://www.modot.org/  .

 

Fish Fry Season Has Begun

 

One of the great neighborhood events that make St. Louis such a wonderful place to live is the local Friday Night Fish Fry at various churches during Lent. Stopping by the Fish Fry at your neighborhood church is an ideal way to meet fellow members of the community and experience some outstanding cod! Bon appetit!

 

 

St. Patrick’s Day Activities

 

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Downtown St. Louis will take place on Saturday, March 12. It steps off at Noon from 18^th and Market Streets and will proceed east on Market to Kiener Plaza. Parade goers can stop by the Hilton St. Louis Irish Village in Kiener Plaza from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Also celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on March 12 will be various establishments on Laclede’s Landing from Noon to 8 p.m. and St. Louis Union Station from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy Irish-inspired live entertainment, music and dance.

 

The Ancient Order of Hibernians’ St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the Dogtown neighborhood will take place on Thursday, March 17. It will begin at Noon from Tamm and Oakland and will proceed south on Tamm to Manchester.  

 

Family Sundays at the Art Museum

 

From 1 – 4 p.m. each Sunday in March, the St. Louis Art Museum in beautiful Forest Park will hold Family Sunday tours and hands-on activities. The theme for this month is the Mayan culture.

 

 

Set Your Clocks Forward March 13

 

Be sure to set your clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 13. The time change officially occurs at 2 a.m. local standard time, which becomes 3 a.m. local daylight time. Did you know that Hawaii and most of Arizona do NOT switch to daylight saving time?

 

 

Grand Avenue Bridge Closing

 

In follow up to recent news stories, just a reminder that the Grand Avenue Bridge between Chouteau and I-64 is scheduled to close at 5 a.m. Monday, March 14 and will not be open to traffic through April 2012. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the various suggested detour routes to find out which one works best for you.

 

We Are Stronger Than Your Violence

 

The Dutchtown Youth Council will present “We Are Stronger Than Your Violence” a community event on Saturday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at Roosevelt High School, located at 3230 Hartford Street. The evening will feature Hip Hop, poetry, theater, and visual art performed by young people from St. Louis City. Admission is free and young people are enthusiastically invited to attend. For more information, call (314) 536-0566 or e-mail Marjorie@dutchtownsouth.org .

 

Youth CHANGE Seeks Program Leaders

 

Dutchtown South Community Corporation is seeking two Program Leaders for Youth CHANGE, its 25^th Ward Summer Youth Employment Program. The Program Leaders will implement the 8-week curriculum of Youth CHANGE, functioning as the point-person for the overall program and assisting the outside trainers in the facilitation of any outside components.  The temporary positions will run from June 7 through August 16. Deadline to submit resumes and cover letters is March 21. If you are interested, you may e-mail your resume to Marjorie@dutchtownsouth.org, or fax it to (314) 352-9086 or mail it to 4204 Virginia Avenue, St. Louis, MO  63111.

 

Gateway Greening Grants Available

 

Gateway Greening’s 2011 Youth Garden Grants are available to schools or youth oriented programs for new youth gardens and expansions of existing youth gardens. New youth gardens must be within Gateway Greening’s service area to be eligible. Applications are due no later than 5 p.m. on May 20. A mandatory orientation is planned for April 23 at the Bell Garden’s Carriage House. For more information, contact Steve Eigsti at steve@gatewaygreening.org .

 

 

NIXLE

 

The Department of Public Safety’s City Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) provides free emergency alert service through Nixle (http://www.Nixle.com/) . When you register for the service, you will receive our informative and timely text messages on your cell phone and/or as e-mails on your computer. Visit the Nixle website and sign up for the free service today. If you have any comments about the service, please let me know.

 

Will you be having an event in your neighborhood that we can support? If so, either e-mail the information about it to me at brysonc@stlouiscity.com or to Cathy Smentkowski at smentkowskic@stlouiscity.com .

 

And remember, if you see something in the neighborhood that just doesn’t look right, REPORT IT!

 

Charles Bryson

Director of Public Safety

City of St. Louis