Saturday, November 30, 2024–4:00 p.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
Floyd County Emergency Management is reaching out to local churches, civic organizations, and community centers that would be willing to offer their spaces as emergency shelters, especially on cold winter days.
According to Chris Fincher with Floyd EMA, the goal is to have a list of places on hand to get help and assistance to those who need a warm place to stay.
“As the temperature dips into freezing and stays consistently below freezing during the day, and for several days, the Salvation Army will put out white flag conditions,” Fincher said. “If they’ve got room, they’ll allow people to stay there, but last year we found a few churches wanted to prop up shelters and they had questions about what to do. So we’re putting the offer out there. If anybody is interested in using their facility as an emergency shelter, the Red Cross has agreed to work with us to host a sheltering class. If anybody is interested in that they can reach out to us at EMA.”
You can call (706) 235-5002 or send a message via Floyd EMA’s social media pages.
According to Fincher, an emergency shelter doesn’t necessarily mean that people are going to be there for a few days or a week at a time. It could be for just a couple of hours or during the daytime when the temperatures are really low, just to get people out of the elements.
“Emergency sheltering can also apply in the case where we had hurricane Helene when it came through,” he said. If it had been the case where the storms had taken out a community where trees fell on several houses, those people would need somewhere to go temporarily. So, we’re looking for places where homeowners can go in and seek refuge for a couple of hours until they can have an interview with the Red Cross and find alternate sheltering. We don’t necessarily want them out in the cold for that time, while they’re trying to text people and call people; we need a place where people can go temporarily to seek shelter.”
A shelter needs to have enough room to set up temporary bedding or cots provided by EMA and the Red Cross, as well as space to set up for feeding. A bonus would be a place that has enough space for pets.
“Oftentimes, folks don’t want to leave their pets behind,” Fincher added. “That is sometimes the case with our homeless population. They’re out there and they’ve got a pet that has become their friend and their partner, and they don’t want to leave their pet behind. Sometimes shelters that we have just don’t have a spice available for an animal. If you have a spice and you want to consider maybe housing people and their animals that would be a huge resource for us to have.”
The sheltering class would be six to eight hours and could be held on a weekend if there is enough interest. Attendees will learn how to be prepared in case they are called on to offer emergency sheltering.
