Decatur County mayor discusses post-storm conditions

DECATUR COUNTY, Tenn. — It’s been tough for many crews in West Tennessee navigating thick ice, power outages, and water supply shortages. We visit Decaturville where they are having issues trying to get roads clear enough for drivers with concerns of refreezing.

According to Decatur County Mayor Mike Creasy, roads are not the the only problem. Crews are transporting elderly residents to warming shelters due to power loss and delivering water to combat water shortages from the recent winter storm.

“So far there’s no fatalities and that’s our main goal, and all of our agencies are working hard from the rescue squad, sheriff’s department, EMA, and volunteers–unbelievable,” said Mayor Creasy.

Mayor Creasy tells us there was an announcement issued for local residents as the course of the winter storm started to take a dangerous turn.

“We declared an emergency declaration. Governor Lee declared one for all 95 counties. I think it was Sunday morning at 11am I declared one here for Decatur County. This may be out night one, so we’ve been through this before,” said Mayor Creasy.

Mt. Carmel Road in Decaturville is one of the harder hit communities. When we visited the area we observed fallen trees and power lines.

These are among some of the different things that the community is dealing with following the impacts from the winter storm over the weekend.

“You have to be safe. Be cautious, there’s power lines down and some of them are getting recharged. Tree limbs are falling still. We’re seeing the temperatures rise so you’re going to have black ice, so it’s an extremely dangerous situation still out here,” said Mayor Creasy.

We’ve had several calls and reports to our newsroom indicating some locals could be freezing at home with no heat source. Check on neighbors and make sure they have a place to stay warm.

“We just left some people that are watching out for an elderly guy and a couple of neighbors around the neighborhood. It’s like that everywhere. You don’t find that any better than right here in Decatur County,” said Mayor Creasy.

If you’re looking to lend an extra hand, the fire and rescue squad in Decaturville always accepts donations to aid funding in their local community

Many essential emergency departments have been working around the clock to  ensure communities have necessary resources to fight the cold and clear debris for drivers.

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