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Shelters Still Open After Severe Winter Storm
Posted Sunday, December 20, 2009 ; 04:20 PM | View Comments | Post Comment
Updated Monday, December 21, 2009; 09:48 AM

Hundreds of people ride out the intense winter weather in shelters.

By Timmy Carrico
Email | Bio | Other Stories by Timmy Carrico

BECKLEY -- More than 150,000 people across West Virginia are still without power which is making residents find locations with heat, food, and beds.

The American Red Cross is trying to help as many people as possible, officials said in a news release.

"We will ride out the storm, and help these victims, until the lights are back on," the news release states.

The Red Cross' volunteers and staff members are teaming up with a number of other agencies in the relief effort. The West Virginia National Guard is helping to hand out ready-to-eat meals to victims of the hardest hit areas, including Wyoming County.

In Fayette County, 30 people stayed the night at the county's three shelters, which is down by a hundred residents from Saturday night.

In Greenbrier County, the shelter at Rhema Christian Center in Lewisburg has closed. The shelter housed 80 people Saturday night.

In McDowell County, 15 people spent the night at their shelter, Welch Elementary School, on Saturday. Shelter workers were expecting more residents Sunday night.

In Raleigh County, 58 people called the Dream Center Church in Beckley home for Saturday night. The Dream Center is closed at this time.

In Summers County, The Sandstone Fire Department is currently housing five people down from more than 100 people Saturday night. Lick Creek Baptist Church and Summers County Middle School both housed 8 people.

Mercer County's shelter reports that no one stayed overnight in their facility. The Salvation Army Shelter in Bluefield is on stand-by.

The Red Cross and the West Virginia National Guard advise people not to venture out on the roads, unless it is absolutely necessary. To view an interactive map of all the open interstates in West Virginia and Virginia [Click Here.] To view a county-by-county list of all power outages in West Virginia and Virginia [Click Here.]

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