Public Safety Director's Spotlight - Emergency Preparedness Month

Plenty of fun events in #STL neighborhoods this weekend, but review tips on dealing with possible heavy rains from former Hurricane Isaac

August 31, 2012 | 8 min reading time

This article is 12 years old. It was published on August 31, 2012.

Eddie Roth, Director of Public Safety
Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt Title: New portrait of Eddie Roth, Director of Public Safety
Source: UPI/Bill Greenblatt

 

Emergency Preparedness Month 

Each September, emergency management agencies across the United States observe the month of September as “Emergency Preparedness Month” to highlight the need for everyone to be prepared for natural and man-made disasters of all kinds.  With the remnants of Hurricane Isaac due to arrive in St. Louis this weekend, this is a good time to review your family’s emergency plan and to be especially mindful of flood safety tips.  Here are a few suggestions:

  • Be prepared! Pack a bag with important items in case    you need to evacuate.  Don’t forget    to include needed medications.
  • If advised to evacuate your home, do so immediately.
  • Do not walk through moving water.  As little as six inches of moving water    can make you fall.
  • If you must walk in water, wherever possible, walk    where the water is not moving.  Use    a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.
  • Do not drive into flooded areas.  If floodwaters rise around your car,    abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely.
  • Stay away from downed power lines and electrical wires,    and report them to the power company.
  • Have a battery-operated radio available to listen for    flood-related news reports and information.

For more emergency preparedness information, visit the web site at FEMA.gov.  To receive timely emergency-related text messages from the City Emergency Management Agency via NIXLE, simply text STLCEMA to 888777 from your cell phone.  Finally, the number for MSD’s customer service center is (314) 768-6260 and the number for the City’s Citizens’ Service Bureau is (314) 622-4800.  You may also send a tweet for CSB to @stlcsb.

 

Upcoming Events

Aug. 31 – Life Time Torchlight Run, Soldiers’ Memorial, 7 p.m.

Race-goers of all ages are invited to run or walk the 3.1-mile Life Time Torchlight 5K Run this Friday night, then conclude the evening with the legendary post-race party featuring food, drinks and music.  The Run will step off at 7 p.m. from Soldiers’ Memorial, 1315 Chestnut Street, in Downtown St. Louis.  Each race entrant will receive a t-shirt, access to the athletes-only fruit, sports drink and beer tent, and discounts from Sauce Magazine’s Food Truck Fleet.  To register, visit the web site at torchlight5k.com.

Aug. 31 – Sept. 3 – THF Realty Gateway Cup Races

The first leg of the THF Realty Gateway Cup Races this weekend will get underway on Friday in the Lafayette Square neighborhood and business district with the Tour De Lafayette.  This nighttime Criterium will take place under the lights on a flat, wide-open 0.9 mile course with four 90 degree turns – around LafayetteSquarePark, starting at Dolman and Park.  Registration will open at 2 p.m. and the first category race will begin 3 p.m.  The last race of the day will start at 9:15 p.m.

The second leg of the Gateway Cup will take place on Saturday in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood with the Tour De Francis Park.  Racers will take off from Nottingham and Childress and circle the 1.3 mile rectangular park.  Registration will begin at 10 a.m. and the first category race will start at 11 a.m.  The final race of the day will begin at 5:30 p.m. 

The Giro Della Montagna will be the third stop of the THF Realty Gateway Cup.  All the races Sunday will start and finish in front of St. Ambrose Church, 5130 Wilson on The Hill.  Registration will open at 11 a.m. with the first race of the day beginning at 12:10 p.m. and the last race of the day starting at 6:05 p.m.

The fourth and final leg of the Gateway Cup will take place on Monday in historic BentonPark with the Benton Park Classic.  This large and technically demanding course will race through yet another one of St. Louis’ most nostalgic neighborhoods.  The day’s races will all start and end at Arsenal and Missouri Avenues.  Registration will open at 9 a.m. with the first race beginning at 10 a.m.  The last race of the day will begin at 4:55 p.m.

For all the details about the Gateway Cup Races, visit the web site at gatewaycup.com.

Sept. 1 – FML Fest, Downtown, 6 p.m.

The Fashion-Music-Life Fest 2012 will take place this Saturday from 6 – 11 p.m. at Phantom SaintLouisGallery, located at 1300 Washington  Avenue in beautiful Downtown St. Louis.  The FML Fest will feature live music, burlesque, DJs, art, runway fashion shows by Blue Bird Apparel, CLR-MNSTR, Rich Phillips Leather and more!  The event is free and open to the public.  For all the details, visit the web site at fmlfest.com.

Sept. 1, 2 & 3 – St. Nicholas Greek Festival, 11 a.m.

Opah!  The annual St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church’s Greek Festival will be this Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the Church, located at 4967 Forest Park in the trendy Central West End neighborhood.  The hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday.  Enjoy authentic Greek food and pastries, dance demonstrations and live music, marketplace and entertainment.  Questions?  Call (314) 361-6924 or visit the web site at sngoc.org.

Sept. 1, 2 & 3 – Veterans Festival, Forest Park, 10 a.m.

The Veterans Festival is being held to pay tribute to our Armed Forces veterans and will include a wide range of sports, arts, games, amusement rides, concerts and family-oriented events.  The opening ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1 in beautiful Forest Park.  For an updated listing of all the planned activities for the weekend festival, visit the vfstl.com web site.

Sept. 1 – 2 – Big Muddy Blues Festival, Laclede’s Landing, 1 p.m.

Every Labor Day Weekend, St. Louis’ historic Laclede’s Landing hosts more than 60,000 people from around the country for the Big Muddy Blues Festival.  This outdoor festival just north of the Gateway Arch on Laclede’s Landing, with the mighty Mississippi River as a backdrop, attracts a diverse audience with only one intention, and that is to celebrate the indigenous art form known as “the Blues.”  The hours will be from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  General admission is $10.  For a list of the lineup of scheduled performers, visit the web site at bigmuddybluesfestival.com.

Sept. 1 – 3 – Japanese Festival 2012, MissouriBotanical Garden, 10 a.m.

The annual Japanese Festival at the MissouriBotanical Garden will take place this Labor Day Weekend and will include taiko drumming, bon odori festival dancing, martial arts, candlelight walks in the JapaneseGarden and more.  The hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Labor Day.  You may purchase tickets in advance online at the mobot.org web site.  Tickets range from $5 to $15.  For more information, call (314) 577-5100.

Sept. 3 – Labor Day Parade, Downtown, 9 a.m.

The Greater St. Louis Labor Council, AFL-CIO invites everyone to pay tribute to and celebrate the American Worker this Labor Day at the annual Labor Day Parade.  The parade will begin at 9 a.m. Monday at Olive and 15th Street in Downtown St. Louis, proceed east on Olive to Tucker, south on Tucker to Market and west on Market to 15th where it will end.  If you need more information, call (314) 291-8666.

Sept. 4 – Twilight Tuesdays Concert, Missouri History Museum6 p.m.

The Twilight Tuesdays Concert Series at the MissouriHistoryMuseum will continue this coming Tuesday, Sep. 4 with Eugene Johnson paying homage to Blues Legend Robert Johnson.  The concert will begin at 6 p.m. on the front lawn of the Museum in Forest Park at Lindell and DeBaliviere.  Please note that BBQ grills are not allowed at the event.  For a complete listing of all the concerts in the series, visit the mohistory.org web site.

Sept. 6 – Candlelight Vigil, PoelkerPark across from City Hall, 8 p.m.

If you’re a firefighter, fire buff, or a citizen who loves fire trucks and the fire service, this is a great opportunity to come and celebrate the long & rich history of the fire service during Firefighters Weekend.  The first activity will be a candlelight vigil on Thursday in PoelkerPark, at the corner of Tucker & Market Street, beginning at 8 p.m.  The names of firefighters who have died in the line of duty will be read, and several officials will make remarks.  To learn more about Firefighters Weekend, visit the web site at firefightersweekend.com.

Thursday nights - Thursdays @ The Intersection, Grand Center, 5 p.m.

Enjoy the free outdoor concert series, Thursdays @ The Intersection, at 5 p.m. every Thursday at Strauss Park, located at Grand and Washington in Grand Center, now through Oct. 4. For a complete schedule of performers, visit http://www.grandcenter.org/ .

Sept. 15 -- Run for the Hills 5K Run/Walk, Francis Park, 8 a.m.

This year’s Run for the Hills 5K Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, Sept. 15 at the intersection of Donovan & Itaska Streets along scenic Francis Park in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood.  The 5K Run will step off at 8 a.m.  The 1-mile Walk & Youth Timed Run will begin at 8:45 a.m.  Registration deadline to guarantee a shirt is Saturday, Sept. 8.  Register online at either stlouishills.org or bigriverrunning.com.  Questions?  Call (314) 352-5621.

Sept. 22 – Trivia Night, Concordia Gymnastic Society, 6:30 p.m.

Concordia Gymnastic Society, 6432 Gravois in the BoulevardHeights neighborhood, will be hosting a trivia night on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m.  Put your 80s style and knowledge to the test as you vie for prizes.  Light snacks, beer, wine and soda will be provided.  Prizes will be awarded for first and last place, as well as for the best 80s style.  The event is for adults over the age of 21 only.  The cost for a team of 8 is $160 if registered by Sept. 1; after that it is $180 per team of 8.  To register, email concordiaturners@sbcglobal.net or call (314) 352-9388.

 

Save the Date

Sept. 7 – Live on the Rocks, Chain of RocksBridge, 6 p.m.

Sept. 7 & 8 – Polish Festival, Polish Falcons, 4 p.m.

Sept. 7 – Casa Loma Ballroom’s 85th Anniversary Celebration, 7 p.m.

Sept. 7, 8 & 9 – Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival, KienerPlaza, 10 a.m.

Sept. 8 – Great Fire Engine Rally, Soldiers’ Memorial, 10 a.m.

Sept. 8 – Hyde Park Festival, in Hyde Park, 10 a.m.

Sept. 8 – Fabulous Flamingo Festival, Citygarden, 10 a.m.

Sept. 8 - Kilometers for Canines in Crisis, TowerGrovePark, 8 a.m.

Sept. 8 – Free Concert, LafayettePark, 6 p.m.

Sept. 9 – 2nd Annual September 11th Interfaith Memorial in Music, Sheldon Concert Hall, 5:30 p.m.

 

Promoting Your Neighborhood Activities


Is there a neighborhood event on the schedule that you would like noted in the Spotlight? If so, you may email the information about it to me at rothe@stlouis-mo.gov or to Cathy Smentkowski at smentkowskic@stlouis-mo.gov for consideration. You may also post it on the City’s Calendar of Events on the City’s web site: http://stlouis-mo.gov. The link to submit an event is on the home page. The listing is free. I encourage you to take advantage of this free way to promote your event.

Suggest a Theme for First Night

What theme do you want to see this year for First Night Saint Louis?  Email your ideas to yourfirstnight@grandcenter.org by Thursday, Sept. 20.  The winner will receive a VIP package.

 


Eddie Roth
Director of Public Safety
City of St. Louis



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