Laclede County was well prepared for weekend storm, O.E.M. director says

Laclede County Office of Emergency Management Director Randy Rowe reported minimal damage and swift response times from local agencies during the weekend’s winter storm. “I want to pat everybody on the back for staying off the roads yesterday,”” Rowe said. “There was very little traffic, only necessary traffic, and it worked well in this area.” Rowe said that the county’s effective navigation of the winter storm was in part due to the various notices put out by O.E.M., the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, local churches, and other entities. After the National Weather Service alerted O.E.M. to the then-potential weather, the department began preparing their equipment and notifying its shelter partners, which include Red Cross and the City of Lebanon. After notifying the principal shelter churches as well, Rowe said the city was ready to house residents first and visitors second. O.E.M. spent Friday coordinating with local law enforcement, which included the Missouri State Highway Patrol. On Saturday, Rowe said that the department fielded over 50 calls about the inclement weather. “It’s our number one job here to sell calm,” Rowe said, “And that’s what we did. We sold calm.” For more on this story, see Wednesday's LCR.