MURRAY – In anticipation of the historic amounts of rain forecast to hit western Kentucky later today, several county departments and officials are working together to make sandbags available to anyone who needs them to protect their property from the 10-15” of rain expected between now and Saturday.
The sandbags can be picked up at the Calloway County Road Department, 105 East Sycamore Street. Those interested in taking advantage of the service should drive around the building, to the back of the lot, where workers and volunteers are loading vehicles.
Calloway County Emergency Management (CCEM) Director Josh Kerr said there is no limit on the number of sandbags a person can get, acknowledging that needs will vary greatly depending on the location of the structure.
District 4 Magistrate Paul Rister has been on site all morning. Around 11 a.m., he estimated the crew had already filled 2,000 bags and noted they still have 24,000 bags available to fill if needed. Shortly after noon, another truckload of sand arrived.
Starting at 3 p.m. today, the county’s storm shelter will open at the Robert O. Miller Courthouse Annex, 201 South 4th Street. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers will man the shelter, which will remain open until severe storms have moved through the area.
Some local churches are also opening their doors to offer shelter to those needing a safe place to ride out the storms, Kerr said. At the time, Brooks Chapel Community Church in Dexter and Coles Campground Church were the ones of which Kerr was aware but further advised to check CCEM’s Facebook page for any additional churches or other organizations that plan to open as a shelter. Residents should note that, while the VFW Post 6291served a warming center in recent months, there are too many windows for the structure to be used as a storm shelter. Kerr did note, however, that CCEM may use that facility to temporarily house people whose homes were flooded or otherwise damaged.
