EMA, first responders share their plan for residents due to severe weather
MADISON COUNTY, Tenn.– Local first responders are working together to ensure residents remain safe.
As the storms were rolling in today I was at the Madison county EMA center. While there I saw hail, heavy rain, lightning and high winds.
“Over the next couple of days we’re probably going to have a couple of severe weather events,” Jason Moore, Director of Madison County EMA shares.
One resident shared she was in north Jackson and rushed to the shelter at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.
“I was at home. The sirens were going off so I was trying to get here as fast as I could. Because, this is my first time ever coming down to the civic center for a storm,” Nichole McKinney, a resident of Jackson, shares.
She said this storm reminded her of one that happened years ago.
“Well I’m really not anxious but I do remember it happened in my hometown 19 years ago on this exact day. In Dyer County, so that’s what made me come down, so when they said it was a Level 5 it was time for me to move,” McKinney says.
For residents in Jackson-Madison County, emergency assistance workers have prepared for the aftermath of the storms.
“Both fire departments, city and county, they both made some preparations for swift water rescues. Also, we’ve made some preparations with the civic center for sheltering if we had to do any evacuations,” Moore says.
For those who are curious of the high waters make sure not to get in the water, here’s why.
“It’s real important to not walk through any flooded waters or drive through flooded waters. Just a few inches of rushing water will take you off your feet. It can certainly sweep a car off into a raven, ditch, you don’t want to get stuck in that kind of situation,” Moore says.
Make sure to pack emergency kits with water, a charged communication device, non perishable food, flashlight, and a first aid kit.
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