EMA directors prepare in advance for severe weather

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) Emergency management directors have a lot on their plates when storms start rolling in.

EMA coordinates with law enforcement, fire, EMS, and road crews to prepare for what might happen in their communities.

Those meetings are to make sure everyone is on the same and ready to respond.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made many of those talks virtual.

The virus is also impacting how storm shelters are operated in Lowndes County.

“We only have three shelters that we use from the school, and because of social distancing and wearing a mask and the pandemic it limits the amount of people that can come inside the shelter,” said Cindy Lawrence, Lowndes County EMA Director. “Now, the CDC has changed the social distancing from six feet to three feet. So maybe that will help some. But we only have three shelters in Lowndes County and that is a challenge for us because we know that we have approximately 60,000 people here in Lowndes County.”

The shelters are located at New Hope High, Caledonia school, and the Career Technology Center on Lehmberg Road.