Emergency Management Students Helping Region React to Flooding

With floods waters rising havoc throughout the St. Louis area in the past week, two Saint Louis University students studying emergency management are among those helping with the response and recovery efforts.

Ellie Collet has been interning with the St. Louis County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and has designed several table top exercises for the St. Louis County region, particularly for the St. Louis County Police Department.

Over the past week, Collet has been part of the county’s response coordination efforts, working with both county personnel and community partners. Her responsibilities have included assisting with logistical coordination of resources throughout the region in order to assist the areas hardest hit by the flooding.

Meanwhile, Alex Nickel, also a student in the emergency management program, has been working on a document that coordinates the recovery efforts of volunteers and non-profit agencies throughout the region as part of her internship with the St. Louis Area Regional Coalition of COADS (SLARCC).

As part of the internship, she has been working to help develop a plan for recovery during major disasters that impact the St. Louis region at large. Nickel's internship is part of the Global and Local Justice minor that she is currently pursuing.

Due to heavy rainfall and recent, sustained, the St. Louis region is currently in midst of massive flooding, particularly along the Meramec River, which has led to the closure of major highways over the past week.