By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – One year ago this week, many St. Louis area residents spent several days without power after a major storm struck the region.
Now, those who respond to natural disasters and other emergencies are still working on how to better react to such events.
Michael Thomas, with St. Louis University's Heartland Centers, says emergency response officials have worked to improve communication and reaction plans. But Thomas says there's more work to do to be ready.
"Preparedness is never done and I think that we really clearly need to understand, have that understand by the public and have that understand by government officials that this effort never ends," Thomas said. "You're constantly improving your preparedness by each disaster event that you face because you develop lessons learned."
Thomas says some of the challenges that still remain for emergency responders include anticipating disasters better, preparing for public health problems, and improving communication between agencies.