Tornado Recovery & Safety: Message for Our Forest Park Visitors and Volunteers

Forest Park experienced severe damage from the storm (now confirmed as (EF3 tornadoes) that hit our region on Friday, May 16. The Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center remains closed and without power, and significant tree loss has occurred throughout the Park.

Teams from Forest Park Forever and our partners in the St. Louis City Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry continue to work together to assess damage, clear hazards and plan recovery.

Important Forest Park-related Information in the Tornado Aftermath:

• As that initial recovery work continues through the weekend, we ask that members of the public avoid recreational and non-essential visits to the Park if at all possible, to ensure adequate space for our teams to safely assess damage, use heavy machinery to remove hazards and improve access. Some institutions in the Park remain open, but others are closed; check before you go, as each will communicate when they are again open for visitors.

• We are touched by the many offers to volunteer or otherwise support cleanup efforts. In time we will reach out to include our amazing volunteers, but right now we are focused on assessing damage and removing hazards, which for everyone’s safety is best handled by our specially trained teams.

Thank you for supporting Forest Park, and we will share more about recovery efforts soon!