PRINCETON, W. Va. -On Monday night, the Mercer County emergency management director, Keith Gunnoe, said around twelve thousand people in our county are left without power, a number that could continue to climb. This is why he’s opened the Princeton Rescue Squad’s “Karen Preservati Center” to be used as an “emergency evacuation shelter,” with cots provided by the American Red Cross and food provided by the Salvation Army.
“…When you’re dealing with, you know, potentially temperatures in the single digits or lower teens with wind chills obviously, so with folks with no heat, obviously this could be a deadly situation for some folks, and so we wanted to make this available and would like to have other locations in the county, and we’re working towards that, but this is a good start,” says Gunnoe.
The Adult and Teen Challenge, Appalachian Region volunteered their time to man the shelter and will be volunteering as the weather continues to create a need. We spoke to one volunteer who says attendance has been low, which means there are plenty of spots available to those who need them.
“It’s been going well. Just got one guy in the warming station right now, but, hey, that’s why we’re here…” says James Caristo, admissions director for Appalachian Adult and Teen Challenge, “…we have plenty more cots available and there’s food and drinks and obviously warming station.”
Caristo calls it “an honor and a privilege” to be able to serve his community in this way. He encourages people wanting to help to spread the word that the Karen Preservati Center is open for those wanting to escape the cold.
If you are in need of emergency evacuation shelter, you can simply show up to the Karen Preservati Center at 704 Maple Street in Princeton.
If you would like to donate food to help those staying here, you can contact the Mercer County Salvation Army.
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