UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — Emergency responders in the St. Louis area are organizing Tuesday for the potential of flash flooding Wednesday.
Last year, when it rained on Fire Station #1 in University City, it poured. The department was already sheltering evacuees and then flood waters rose, taking out the bottom floor. Now their fire chief is looking at the forecast and hoping it doesn't happen again.
"Unfortunately we can't stop Mother Nature," University City Fire Chief William Hinson said. "But you know we can do the best we can to be prepared for what happens."
Part of that preparation is a conference call with other area fire chiefs. Chief Hinson explained what they will discuss Tuesday afternoon, saying: "The technical rescue people and where they should be stationed and where there are boats that should be stationed around the area."
In a region with a small department, like University City, mutual aid can be critical. "Last year's flooding was so major that mutual aid was almost unavailable throughout the area," Chief Hinson said. "Everybody was taking care of their own."
When the scope of the emergency came in to focus, mutual aid was called in from other counties. University City was hit especially hard by July 2022's historic rainfall and Chief Hinson hopes planning calls help with future flash flooding. "Flooding in a region like this where the departments are small, requires mutual aid assistance and in doing so all those around are prepared for what could happen," he said.
Emergency crews can only do so much, a major component of community safety is... the community. "My advice is for them to watch the news, keep a close eye on the news. Sign up for Code Red so that they get the alerts," Chief Hinson said.
Code Red alerts are set up in many municipalities in the St. Louis area. Code Red alerts are emergency alerts sent straight to your phone and triggered by emergency personnel in your specific area. You can find sign up information on your city or county's website.
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