City of St. Louis Extends Code Blue, Deploys Snowplows for Monday Snow

The City of St. Louis Department of Human Services has extended the activation of Code Blue protocols through Friday, Dec. 5, at 9 a.m.

The City of St. Louis and its partners currently have 285 emergency shelter beds in the city, with a surge capacity of up to 345. This is in addition to 400 year-round shelter beds. The City and its partners were able to serve all individuals who sought shelter over the evening of Nov. 30 and will continue to monitor use to determine if additional shelter beds are required. Shelter operations will remain in 24-hour operations through Dec. 5 at 9 a.m.

The City is grateful to Bi-State Development, which is now providing shuttles and operators to secure transportation from rally points to shelters.

The Street Department began pre-treating snow routes this morning, and a full crew of about 50 snowplow operators started rolling out around 12:30 p.m. The City encourages staying off the roads if possible and, if necessary, driving with caution.

Shelter Operations Update

Walk-up shelter is available starting at 6 p.m. at the following locations:

• North City Zone: Peter & Paul - Jugan Shelter (single men, single women, and family rooms)
  3225 N. Florissant Ave. 
• Central City Zone: Biddle Housing Opportunities Center (single men only)
  1212 N. 13th St. 
• South City Zone: Peter & Paul - Sidney Shelter (single men, single women)
  112 Sidney St.

Walk-ups are welcome until 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., individuals seeking shelter must contact the United Way 211 Helpline by dialing 211. Additional locations are available by appointment only, coordinated through the United Way 211 Helpline or by speaking with a coordinator at a rally point. If a walk-up shelter reaches capacity, transportation will be provided to another shelter with sufficient capacity.

Transportation Operations Update

Those seeking transportation to shelters can get picked up between 5 and 7 p.m. at the following rally point locations:

• North City Zone: 
  • Urban League Women's Business Center
    4401 Natural Bridge Ave
  • Wellston Loop Community Development Corporation (new)
    1522 Hodiamont Ave
• Central City Zone: 
  • Centenary United Methodist Church
    1610 Olive St. (use the Pine Street entrance)
• South City Zone: 
  • Carondelet Park Tennis and Pickleball Courts
    At Loughborough Avenue and Grand Drive

Each rally point has either a warming bus or an indoor warming facility available, in addition to a Metro Call-A-Ride shuttle that transports individuals to shelter. Each shuttle is staffed with both a driver and an outreach worker.

If alternative transportation is required, contact the United Way 211 Helpline by dialing 211.

Snow Plan Operations Update

With snow currently hitting St. Louis, the Street Department has activated its snow plan protocol and began pre-treating the City’s streets Monday morning and plowing shortly after noon.

In accordance with the Street Department’s Winter Weather Preparedness Plan, streets will be prioritized as follows:

1. Main Routes: Arterial, secondary and hill routes are cleared first to keep traffic moving.
2. School Entrances and Intersections: Crews then clear snow from main school entrances and intersections where side streets meet main roads.
3. Intersection Clearance: Next, crews then clear accumulated snow (windrows) at intersections where side streets meet the main snow routes.
4. Side Streets: After intersections are clear, the Street Department director will determine what additional support shall be provided to the remaining side streets. 

If significant ice develops, all available vehicles and staff from other departments will be used to break up the ice.

The operations will be as follows, based on actual conditions:

• Normal Snowfall (under 1 inch per hour): Crews work in continuous loops, clearing arterial and secondary routes.
• Severe Snowfall (over 1 inch per hour): Arterial routes are the top priority until conditions improve.

The City of St. Louis and its partners are closely monitoring the weather conditions and will continue to provide updates on emergency shelter and efforts to keep streets passable, as needed.