Whenever a hurricane or other natural disaster threatens Mathews, the county’s emergency services team goes into gear, preparing to assist residents in a variety of ways, from helping with evacuations before the disaster to assisting with clean-up afterward.

Among the team’s responsibilities is operating an emergency shelter at the Mathews Family YMCA, and Mathews County Social Services director Tiffany Gordon is the team member who, along with her staff, handles that.

Gordon said that the county’s emergency operations director Edwina Casey and County Administrator Mindy Conner together decide whether a situation warrants opening a shelter, and if so, they call an Emergency Operations Center meeting of the whole team, which includes Emergency Services Director Willie Love, Mathews County Sheriff Mark Barrick, and representatives from the fire department and rescue squad.

Once the decision has been made, said Gordon, she and her 15-member staff begin the process o...