80 members of Columbia-based Missouri Task Force One (MO-TF1) will depart Columbia by 10 tonight (Friday) to deploy to tornado-damaged north St. Louis.
Authorities in St. Louis city say there are now five confirmed fatalities from this afternoon’s radar-indicated tornado. St. Louis television station KMOV quotes St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer as saying the loss of life and the destruction is horrendous.
The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has activated Missouri Task Force One, which is deploying 100,000 pounds of equipment, six live-find K9 units, four human remains detection units and structural engineers. Boone County Fire Protection District spokesman Gale Blomenkamp says this deployment prioritizes search and rescue operations in north St. Louis city. Most of the 80 MO-TF1 members will report to a designated St. Louis city fire department staging location. The full team will arrive in St. Louis by midnight.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe and St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer will hold a press conference on Saturday morning at 10:30 at the St. Louis mobile command center at Delmar and Kingshighway.
