Mayfield, Ky.–The Regional Emergency Operations Center at Mayfield is coordinating a multi-agency response to the catastrophic tornado that caused major damage in Mayfield/Graves County and areas of Marshall County.
Shelter
An initial assessment determined that more than 400 people are likely to seek emergency overnight shelter and many will require shelter for a week or more.
The Red Cross has established shelters at the following locations:
First United Methodist Church
100 Church St.
Hickman, KY 42050
Justin Jackson
Wingo Old Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Contact: Pastor RB Mays
The Way Center
449 Lebanon Street, Wingo, KY, 42088
Contact: Pastor Ike Murphy
(The Wingo Old Cumberland Presbyterian church and The Way are next door to each other and are sharing resources)
Fancy Farm Knights of Columbus Hall
20 KY Hwy 39
Fancy Farm,Kentucky, 42039,
Contact: Todd Hayden, Commissioner
Lone Oak First Baptist Church
3601 Lone Oak Road, Paducah, KY 42003
Contact: Pastor Hank Garner
These shelters will also feed families impacted by the storm. Approximately 100 people are being housed in a shelter at Wingo for the night. Additional shelters will be organized as required.
His House Church has food at their facility at 1250 KY Hwy 303, Cuba Road. They will also be handing out food at 5th and Broadway in Mayfield starting about 4 p.m., CST, today. Contact the church for additional info.
Food and Supply Dropoff Locations
A food, supply, and cash donation dropoff has been extablished at the McCracken County Emergency Management Office at 3700 Coleman Road, Paducah, KY. It will be open until 6 p.m., CST, tonight, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., CST, on Sunday, December 12. This McCracken County dropoff center may be extended into next week, if needed.
Volunteers
At this time the response effort has sufficient volunteers. However, in the coming weeks volunteers will be needed to assist individual home and business owners with cleanup efforts. A phone number for volunteer groups and a sign-up process will be developed in the coming week to assign volunteers as needed.
Transportation
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) District 1 crews from Ballard, McCracken, Crittenden, and Livingston counties are on-site assisting the Graves County Highway Maintenance Crew with efforts to clear as many city streets and county roads as possible over the next week. They will be working closely with local utility personnel to assure the safety of crews and the public when power lines are encountered. Initially, crews will only remove material along the roadway and sidewalks. Removal of debris from private property will wait until later. Efforts are now focused on clearing streets to facilitate a damage assessment survey.
Utilities
West KY RECC reports of their 30,000 members, approximately 28,000 are without electrical service. An initial assessment indicates more than 150 utility poles are damaged or destroyed. Nine of the system’s 13 sub stations are damaged or otherwise not energized. Mayfield Electric and Water has similar issues. Crews from across the country are en route to assist with restoring power – an effort that could take a week or more to complete. WKRECC crews and emergency response crews will be assisting Mayfield Electric & Water on Monday.
Outside Assistance
50 National Guard members are on-site to assist law enforcement with security functions. There is a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew for Mayfield and parts of Graves County impacted by the tornado.
Use of Generators
Homeowners using generators should be aware of the potential for carbon monoxide poisining. Keep generators away from windows and doors. Use caution when fueling to avoid the opportunity for fire. Use caution to prevent generators from back feeding along power lines. Homeowners should also be aware of the hazards associated with the use of unvented space heaters.
Additional Assistance
Counseling teams will be available for families of victims and those who are in need of trauma counseling due to their experiences during the tornado. A mechanism for contacting the teams is being developed.
The Regional EOC anticipates an update sometime Sunday.
Photo taken in Mayfield today by Steven Elder.