ST. LOUIS — One person died and there was significant damage to structures across Jefferson County during Friday night’s storms, the county’s emergency management director said Saturday morning.

In an interview on Today in St. Louis Saturday morning, Jefferson County EMA Director Warren Robinson said the person who died in the storm was killed in a weather-related crash on Interstate 55.

“My understanding is that occurred on Interstate 55 up in the Arnold area,” he said. “I believe there was water on the roadway and they drove into that and lost control of the vehicle, is what I was told.”

Robinson said his department is still working to get an idea of how significant the damage was. As of Saturday morning, he said they have reports of 10 to 12 structures with what he described as significant damage and he expected that number to climb throughout the day.

5 On Your Side’s sports reporter Corey Miller was out on Old Lemay Ferry Road in Arnold, where a downed power line completely blocked the street.

He described seeing guard rails twisted in unnatural ways and road signs flipped over, including a Drury Inn sign.

Robinson urged residents to be cautious in the area. It drivers encounter barricades, find a new route. He also said drivers that see downed trees or power lines should report the damage and find new routes. Above all else, he said people should stay off the roads as much as possible.

“As far as sightseeing goes, I know you mentioned earlier that some folks are getting out and just trying to see for themselves the damage to their communities, and while that’s understandable, we encourage people to stay home as well so our first responders have the room they need to operate out there and to get to some of these inaccessible areas and provide help to the people that really need it,” he said.