Guard helps clean up, evacuate St. Louis

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By The St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Friday, July 21, 2006 1:44 AM CDT | () comments

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Tom Harris waits for the arrival of the American Red Cross after trying to salvage belongings at his home Thursday in the St. Louis suburb of Arnold, Mo. A large white oak tree ripped through his living room at his home.

ST. LOUIS — Unexpected storms that swept through St. Louis the night before left the region stewing in sweat Thursday as nearly half a million utility customers coped without power. Two deaths, an electrocution and a heat-related case, were reported.

With thousands likely to remain without power for days, Gov. Matt Blunt mobilized the Missouri National Guard, sending more than 200 to St. Louis to help with cleanup and cooling operations.

St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley declared a state of emergency, while St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay declared the city a disaster area.

“We are concerned that this heat is going to overtake too many people,” Slay said.

Throughout the day, hospitals and nursing homes were evacuated while others scrambled to find ways to stay cool. A boil order was issued for northern St. Louis County.

Of the two deaths attributed to the storm, one was an electrocution in East St. Louis, Ill., where a man apparently walked into downed power lines. No details on the heat-related death in St. Louis were immediately available.

Fire Chief Sherman George said one family had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from running a generator inside their home. Their conditions were unknown.

The situation has the potential to worsen, with AmerenUE utility officials saying it might be three to five days before power is fully restored.

Ameren said it restored power to 100,000 customers overnight, but progress was slow during the day Thursday. Some 484,000 customers still were without power at 5 p.m.

At midday, St. Louis firefighters evacuated 107 senior citizens from an assisted living complex. The residents had been without power through the night.

Two firefighters, sweat dripping from them, escorted an elderly woman wearing a floral shirt down the stairs because the elevators were not working. She walked into the darkened lobby with her cane, a firefighter on each arm.

A staff member told the woman, “We’re going to have a fun adventure. We’re going to someplace cool.”

At a Quik Trip gasoline station a block away, chaos reigned.

Long lines poured into the street as people yelled at each other and jostled for position at one of the few working gas stations in the area.

Inside, people made runs on ice and drinks — anything to stay cool.

A rumor floated about that gas, currently at $2.99 a gallon, soon would rise to $4.

“Gas prices are going through the roof. Nobody’s got electricity. There’s not a single bag of ice in there. It’s like the end of the world,” James Burkett, 25, said.

Jason Crump, 19, was pushing a wheelbarrow to haul eight bags of ice he bought at a nearby convenience store. He said the ice was already melting when he bought it. “I can’t push fast enough,” he said.

Refugees from shuttered workplaces and sweltering homes flocked to restaurants that had power.

“I must have had 1,000 calls already this morning,” said Ronnie Perricone, a hostess at a diner packed with people waiting 30 minutes or more for a seat.

Even some businesses without power were able to keep their clientele satisfied. Brian Goebbe was at a friend’s tavern when the powerful winds came through Wednesday night and the bar’s power went out.

But that did not stop the beer from flowing. “Just sat outside and drank,” he said.

Areas north of Interstate 70 in St. Louis County were under a precautionary boil order as Missouri American Water lost power to its pumps.

Many businesses, as well as the city halls in the towns of Florissant and Ferguson, were closed due to power outages.

“This is a nightmare,” said Sheila Linhardt, the administrative assistant to Florissant Police Chief William Karabas.

Trudy Levo, 78, went to a cooling center.

“I have difficulty breathing, so I had to get out of my home,” she said. “It was just unbearable in my house. I don’t know where I will stay tonight. I will stay at a hospital lobby if I have to.”

By late morning, many streets in southern St. Louis County were still blocked by large fallen limbs and smaller trees that had been uprooted. Power outages caused surges in water supply pipes and many burst or cracked.

At Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, the storm knocked down about 100 trees, including dozens more than a century old, said Ralph Church, the cemetery administrator. He said fallen trees damaged only three headstones, though they were located in the oldest part of the military graveyard.

Grant’s Farm was closed due to power outages, but a security guard said there was no significant damage at the privately owned zoo, a popular tourist attraction.

Across the Mississippi River in Illinois, Cahokia Mayor Frank Bergman said every neighborhood within his city was affected by the storm.

“At least 50 homes are with trees on them, or in them,” added Bergman, who was going door to door with directions to makeshift shelters.

“There’s so much we can’t begin to assess the damage,” he said. “We just got destroyed last night.“

With concerns about looting, Bergman told police to enforce a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Some homeowners did not go to cooling centers because they were afraid to abandon their homes.