ST. LOUIS – Local station KTVI has reported that Sarah Russell is no longer part of the St. Louis City workforce, having been removed from her position as Commissioner for Emergency Management for the city.

Russell was put on leave in May, shortly after an E-3 tornado caused havoc in St. Louis. The tornado resulted in significant destruction and five fatalities, and the city’s tornado siren system failed to activate during the May 16 event.

An investigation into the city’s tornado preparedness, conducted by Carmody MacDonald law firm and shared on Monday, built upon earlier reports from FOX 2:

• Russell was not in the CEMA office when the tornado touched down
• Russell and CEMA STAFF were instead attending a workshop at another downtown St. Louis location, which left them unable to activate the sirens from the office
• A communications breakdown resulted in no one activating the sirens, so the sirens failed to sound
• Even if the sirens had been activated, the report noted many residents would not have heard them

The report uncovered what investigators called “multiple cascading failures at almost every level leading up to and even after the storm event.”

The results showed that the design and positioning of the city’s siren equipment presented significant challenges, hindering full activation during the tornado. It was found that the testing protocols were ineffective, which had kept city officials unaware of these issues before the storm, as stated in the report.

Investigators pointed to a lack of communication and working relationship between Russell and both the fire and police departments.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Cara Spencer was questioned about the part of the report where investigators expressed concern over Russell’s failure to acknowledge the numerous shortcomings or accept responsibility in their interview.

“I won’t comment beyond acknowledging the report’s credibility, as we take steps forward,” Spencer mentioned. “We expect to have further details regarding the future operations of CEMA Emergency Operations soon.”

The external report recommended CEMA needs to be fully staffed as soon as possible.

Spencer said she stands absolutely committed to making sure the city has a more robust emergency management department moving forward and promised the sirens will go off the next time they’re needed.

Russell appeared before a disciplinary hearing on Monday. When it concluded, she noted the city’s public safety director had 14 days to determine her fate.

Russell served as St. Louis CEMA Commissioner since 2022.

This is a developing story. FOX 2 News will have more information on-air and online as it becomes available.