BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — The Red Cross held a shelter workshop for emergency management officials from several agencies within the area to ensure all departments know what to do in case a shelter needs to be opened in an emergency.
Roger Hudson, direct services lead for Virginia, explains what the meeting covered.
“We’re just trying to go around to all the jurisdictions so everybody understands who’s going to be doing what just like here today,” Hudson said. “We’re going to be managing the rest of the shelter so it’s just making sure everybody knows what everybody’s doing.”
If a shelter needs to be opened, all departments and agencies work together to get the supplies and resources needed.
“There is a lot of different stakeholder groups that have a role to play when we do open a shelter,” said Bristol, Virginia Fire Chief Mike Armstrong. “It’s important from time to time that we get together like today.”
Armstrong said they have been working on a trailer to keep animals warm in the event an emergency shelter for people needs to be opened.
Armstrong also said that if need be, they can work with local animal shelters to temporarily hold on to pets during emergencies.
