St. Louis Mayor: ‘failure in protocol’ during Friday’s tornado warning; many residents say they didn’t hear sirens

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said the tornado sirens were not properly activated on Friday, which is something First Alert 4 has been pushing for answers on for days.

“Within minutes a massive weather system had hit the ground and was decimating our neighborhoods. In those minutes between the warning and the time we were having a massive weather event, there was a failure. A human failure. A failure in protocol to get the sirens up and running to let the community know there was a massive weather event hitting our community,” Mayor Spencer said.

Mayor Spencer said the protocol in place was from 2021 and that it was not clear who was responsible for pushing that button to turn on the tornado sirens.

“I’m taking full responsibility to make sure that the protocol that is in place is crystal clear,” Mayor Spencer said.

The city is still investigating if any sirens went off.

Even though First Alert 4 asked, Mayor Spencer won’t say who is responsible for this.

“The protocol needed to be crystal clear, it wasn’t. It’s clear as of right now, it is clear moving forward,” said Spencer.

Sources told First Alert 4 that the City Emergency Management Agency was not in the office where that button is at the time of the storm and instead blocks away in another city building.

Mayor Spencer said she is changing protocol, in the hopes this never happens again.

“Our fire department will be moving forward with the role of making sure that is deployed from this point forward,” Mayor Spencer said.

At a press conference Sunday night we asked CEMA commissioner Sarah Russell where their staff was during the tornado.

They told us all CEMA staff were at a workshop in a building on Market Street. The CEMA main office where that button is to turn on the tornado sirens is not on Market, but in Police Headquarters on Olive.

First Alert 4 asked the city for more information on what that old protocol was and if anyone in CEMA will be held responsible.

Edward Kinsey Jr. lives in DeBaliviere and said on Friday his family took shelter in the bathroom after hail and wind started caused damage to his home.

“I didn’t really hear no sirens or anything like that. I heard my daughter sitting in the front room playing a game and she said oh because a hail ball hit the window,” Kinsey said.

Kinsey said he didn’t understand why they didn’t hear the sirens go off on Friday.

“We should have because the day before they were going off with the sirens every 4 hours. It’s interesting we didn’t get to hear them. It’s concerning,” Kinsey said.

Others like Kantorail Collins was confused why he heard the siren test on Thursday, but not when he needed it the most.

“How does the siren the day before but the day it happens, that doesn’t make sense,” said Collins.

But others point to their phone alerts, which did go off.

“When that little phone went off. I mean that’s serious,” said Nicole Smiley.

That includes Nicole Smiley, who says the storm came so fast that sirens wouldn’t have done much.

“As fast as it was going. I don’t think so,” said Smiley.

We’ve reached out to learn exactly what the old protocol was, and how the new protocol will work. We have yet to hear back — but we will keep pressing for answers.

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