Beginning this hurricane season, Mathews County residents will have a safer place to go in the event of a direct hit from a strong storm.
Mathews has partnered with Rappahannock Community College to provide a shelter for county residents in the event of a Category 2 or above storm, or a direct hit from a Category 1 hurricane, according to David Burns, emergency services coordinator for Mathews County.
In the event of a major storm, residents will be transported via county school buses to RCC’s Glenns campus.
Burns, who has been the driving force behind the partnership, said Mathews County has been trying for years to get a shelter that would be safe to house residents in a Category 2 hurricane.
The initial idea came about from Mathews resident Wallace Twigg, who has seen the need of a more stable shelter location for many years. Twigg also works as a region coordinator with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM).
Residents in need of shelter have been traditionally sent to Thomas Hunter Middle School. The school will remain the primary shelter for county residents during weaker storms and as long as county officials deem it safe.
However, Burns said Mathews has really not had the ability to locate a shelter completely free from the threat of flood waters that could potentially fill in the entire downtown area, including the area where the school sits, if a major storm made direct impact.
Burns was able to work with VDEM to secure $112,000 worth of Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to outfit RCC’s Glenns campus for a shelter.
"This hasn’t cost Mathews a nickel," Burns said. "In these tight budget times, we are getting a lot out of it."
One of the major additions that had to be made was the ability to wire for a plug-in generator that can run pretty much the entire school and can be turned on with the flip of a switch. Burns said once a hurricane is eminent, VDEM will deploy one of its mobile generators directly to RCC.
Mathews native Lori Ward served as project manager for Bay Electric of Newport News, the contractor that installed the electrical components for the generator. She said Bay Electric replaced the entire switch gear and generator tap box at the school.
Ward said the company tried to use as many local subcontractors as possible to complete the work.
Money was also available for cots, blankets and pillows to be used at either Thomas Hunter or RCC.
Burns is excited about the RCC location, which recently underwent a large-scale renovation. "It looks really nice," he said. "And its central core is a great place for a shelter."
RCC president Elizabeth "Sissy" Crowther is also excited about the partnership. "This is a very big deal for Mathews County and the college," Crowther said. "We are happy to be able to provide the location and service to Mathews County residents. This project is a natural extension of our many partner initiatives with Mathews."
Other news
Burns said he is also excited about other changes that he said will make a positive impact on emergency services to Mathews County. "We have a new sheriff, new commonwealth’s attorney, new fire chief and new supervisor in charge of emergency preparations," Burns said.
The Mathews Volunteer Fire Department is now willing to coordinate efforts, and will be in charge of transporting cots and blankets from where they are stored in the Mathews Department of Social Services building to the shelter.
The Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad will designate its people in different areas during storm events to provide medical support and assess various situations as they arise. This will be useful, especially in areas such as the southern portion of the county and on Gwynn’s Island, Burns said.
Burns said the county just completed a Code Red call asking for those in the county with special needs to register with the sheriff’s department.
Burns encouraged all residents who have not signed up for the Code Red alert system to do so through the county’s website, www.co.mathews.va.us/ by clicking on the Code Red link at the bottom right of the page. Burns said residents can opt to receive emergency alerts through their cell phones, text messages or e-mails. Those without internet access can call the Mathews Sheriff’s office at 725-7177 to register.
Burns said county officials need to be able to communicate conditions to residents during or following the storm. "At that point, there may not be any live telephones," he said.