Siren failure fallout: St. Louis City Emergency Management commissioner remains on leave
First Alert 4 is uncovering new details about the investigation into what went wrong with St. Louis City’s outdoor tornado sirens on May 16. Five people were killed and dozens more were sent to the hospital after a tornado hit the Central West End and North City. The head of the St. Louis City Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), Sarah Russell, was placed on leave four days later. You’ll remember—Russell was under fire after the sirens never sounded. Mayor Spencer said it was a systemic failure. The button to activate the sirens at the fire department didn’t work, and no one activated the button at CEMA’s office because staff were out attending a conference. Sources told First Alert 4 Investigates that CEMA Director Russell remains on paid administrative leave. That leave was extended two weeks ago, on July 11.
Updated: 3 hours ago…