On Friday, May 16, a massive EF3 tornado tore through the St. Louis area, leaving a path of devastation almost 23 miles long.
Five people died.
During the storms, the city’s tornado sirens failed to sound and residents lost a valuable warning that could have saved lives.
Now the CEMA Commissioner, Sarah Russell, has been put on paid leave pending an investigation.
BREAKING: CEMA Commissioner Sarah Russell, who goes by “They/Them” pronouns, is on paid leave after she failed to activate the St. Louis tornado sirens for the deadly storm.
Five people are now dead. pic.twitter.com/SjHs64dRTc
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 22, 2025
Here’s more from CBS News:
There is a system of 60 outdoor sirens stationed around St. Louis, which are meant to be activated once the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for the area as it did on Friday. There are two places where they can be activated: the CEMA office and the Fire Department.
According to Spencer’s office, which announced Russell’s leave Tuesday, the commissioner was attending an offsite workshop with other emergency management staff when the tornado warning came down, and that…
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