St. Louis area prepares for cold, snow, and ice

ST. LOUIS - Ice melt, rock salt, shovels, and other winter supplies kept the lines long at Branneky Hardware in Bridgeton Friday night. 

Valerie McMiller was one of many customers buying ice melt.

“We thought we better go ahead and get a head start,” she said.

Tanner Branneky, a fifth-generation member of the business, said local suppliers help ensure the store has enough ice-melting products for the weekend. 

“We’re ready,” he said.

Brian Bretsch, spokesman for Ameren Illinois, said the power company is planning to shift resources south of the St. Louis area, where the threat of ice is the greatest.

Storm trailers, mobile substations, and power-restoring crews are expected to be on the move this weekend.

“We want all of those resources to be in place before any ice hits the ground,” Bretsch added. 

Approximately a quarter inch of ice is the threshold for problems to occur with power lines. Wind can also be a factor. 

“That’s when you start seeing the stress on that system, even though we’ve done a lot of work in terms of making the system more robust,” Bretsch said. 

Some of those improvements have included higher grade lines, stronger poles, and tree trimming.

Bretsch said as a precaution, it’s a good idea to be prepared for a power outage.

HeatUpStLouis.org is an agency that provides a safety net for area residents struggling to decide between paying for heat or paying for food or medicine.

“We don’t want them to have to make those kinds of decisions,” Rev. Earl Nance Jr., HeatUpStLouis.org treasurer, said. “We want them to be able to stay warm, be able to pay their bills, and still be able to eat and take care of themselves.”

Agency supporters and volunteers gathered Friday at the Commerce Bank in Clayton to rally support for the upcoming Hardee’s Rise & Shine event on Feb. 14. The annual event invites customers to order sausage or egg biscuits for $1, with 100% of all sales going to HeatUpStLouis.org and its partners. 

For more information about how to support the effort or volunteer, click here.