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Electricity outages, tornadoes possible
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| By: MATTHEW COLEMAN, DAILY LEADER News Editor |
September 23, 2005 |
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Lincoln County officials kept a close eye on the weather this morning as Hurricane Rita headed toward the Texas or Louisiana coast and fleeing residents began arriving at local shelters.
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"For lack of a better term, I guess we get ready again," Brookhaven-Lincoln County Civil Defense Clifford Galey said during a morning briefing for officials.
With the potential for wind gusts of 45 mph here, Galey warned of potential problems with an electrical system still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
"We're also going to be on the bad side of the storm as far as severe weather," said Galey, adding that he expects tornado watches to be issued for the area tomorrow.
Galey said at least 80 people fleeing the storm had arrived over the night at local Red Cross shelters. He did not know if the evacuees were from Louisiana or Texas.
The shelter population at Faith Presbyterian Church was back over 150, Galey said. With Interstate 55 being on a direct route from points south, officials were expecting more evacuees to arrive soon.
"Quite honestly, I expect it to get worse before this thing's over," Galey said.
Galey said Indiana National Guard units, who had been providing security at local shelters among other duties, were scheduled to move out this morning. With the additional evacuees, he said, shelters were requesting help with security.
Citing the I-55 traffic, Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop he was concerned about having volunteers able to meet evacuees' needs.
"Our volunteer base is stretched to the core," Bishop said.
Projections this morning indicated Hurricane Rita would come ashore along the Texas or southwest Louisiana coast late today or early Saturday.
Galey said a shift in the hurricane's direction could mean greater impact on this area. He said Lincoln County remains on the edge.
"If it moves a little further to the east, we'll be in the cone for severe weather," Galey said.
In other activity during this morning's briefing, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representative John Coffey said he expect debris cleanup to pick up in the new few days.
Coffey said operations got off to a typically slow start Thursday, but he predicted improvement soon. Despite threats from Hurricane Rita, he said the Corps is "here to stay for a while."
"Once we get in the groove, you'll see some significant change," Coffey said.
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©The Daily Leader 2009
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