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Emergency management officials in Madison, Grimes and Leon counties were focusing their efforts inward Friday, as residents prepared for possible sustained winds of more than 50 mph.
“The greatest threat of hurricanes is to the right of the storm track,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris McKinney said. “Madisonville and places to the east will have a much higher threat of tornados.”
The storm was expected to hit the Brazos Valley late Friday night, with conditions lasting for up to 12 hours. Madison, Leon and Grimes counties were under inland hurricane wind warnings and flood watches.
Officials in the three rural counties — none of which are state-designated shelter hubs and have a combined population of 71,047 — were ushering coastal evacuees north while sheltering county residents.
“We’re notifying our citizens in low-lying areas and those living in mobile homes to call the sheriff’s office,” Leon County Commissioner Dean Player said Friday. “We’ve developed a list of shelters that will accommodate our citizens so we can get them out of the weather.”
While Leon and Madison county officials were not making the locations of those shelters public Friday, Madison County residents were directed to call 936-348-9116 or visit the registration area at the county courthouse. Leon County residents can reach the county sheriff’s office at 903-536-2749. The state information line is 2-1-1.
Grimes County did not have shelters available Friday, Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell said.
Jennifer Ogg, a shelter organizer in Madison County, said the they had space to comfortably house 130 at a Baptist Church across from the courthouse on Elm Street. The shelter was housing 27 residents and three animals Friday afternoon —none of whom had special needs, Ogg said.
Shelly Butts, Madison County’s emergency management coordinator, said local officials will open more space as needed.
“We will do everything we can to help everyone find shelter — regardless of whether they’re county residents,” Butts said. “That could be the case for quite a few people coming through here.”
Leon County had three shelters with space to accommodate 250 people, Player said. About 30 were staying in area shelters Friday evening, but Player said he expected that number to increase dramatically by Saturday morning.
Player said Leon County will open additional space if needed.
Grimes County’s Sowell said his office will try to accommodate as many local residents as necessary, even though the county has no shelter space available.
“Grimes County residents have had time to utilize assessments, relocate on their own and make preparations,” Sowell said. “If there are some that need rescue or assistance, they can contact the sheriff’s office.”
The Grimes County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 936-873-2151.
The National Weather Service was predicting that mobile homes and poorly constructed buildings in the area could be damaged in the storm.
Residents in Madison and Grimes counties each own roughly 2,500 mobile homes, boats, RVs, vans and other equipment. Leon County has about 1,500 spread across the county, according to U.S. Census data.
Leon County Sheriff Michael Price said his agency was in a holding pattern Friday, as personnel waited for the trickle of calls they fielded throughout the day to increase.
“We’ve made sure that all of our emergency generators are fueled and running,” Price said. “Our officers are already set and know we’ll be working emergency hours and different shifts. We’re all on standby.”
Both counties urged local residents to prepare their homes and businesses to be capable of withstanding storm force winds and heavy rains, securing any objects that could potentially become a flying projectile.
“We’ve been going full blast to prepare for the hurricane-force winds, even though we’re sure they won’t be long and sustained,” Madison County Judge Arthur Henson said. “But the other winds and the mammoth size of this thing is terrible.”
State officials deactivated a temporary fueling site at the Madison County fairgrounds late Friday afternoon, where local Lions Club volunteers were assisting the National Guard. The station served to fuel buses charged with moving coastal residents out of harm’s way, Butts said.
Leon County Commissioner Player said Friday that the influx of evacuees could stretch local resources.
“There are a lot of people who have evacuated from the south because they have family here,” Player said. “We’ve easily gone from 16,000 people to almost double that.”
