COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. — The Cocke County Emergency Management Agency said they are taking measures to make sure the county is ready for extreme cold and snow forecasted to arrive Thursday night into Friday morning.
They said they activated the "emergency operations center" which will help them respond to the storm quicker. They also recommended people in the area take some steps to prepare for the storm and stay safe during the cold.
Those steps included contacting friends and family who live in a different area and making arrangements to go there should the power go out. They also recommended people register for Hyper-Reach, a tool which allows the EMA office to send alerts quickly to people's phones.
"It doesn't do any good to contact your next door neighbor, because if you're going to lose power, chances are they will as well. Find friends and family on a different power grid and travel to them if travel is safe, should you lose your power, lose your heat source," said the director of Cocke County EMA.
They said people should also make sure to bring their pets inside and wrap exposed water pipes in order to try and prevent them from freezing. They should also open cabinet doors to allow heat to circulate around pipes.
Ahead of the winter weather, people should also locate their main water shut off in case a pipe bursts, so they can turn off the water and prevent damage to their home.
They also said warming shelters will be available at each their six volunteer fire departments. Their addresses are listed below.
- Cosby Volunteer Fire Department Station 1: 3292 Cosby Highway
- Cosby Volunteer Fire Department Station 2: 105 Tennessee 32
- Del Rio Volunteer Fire Departments: 482 Highway 107 and 480-TN 107
- Grassy Fork Volunteer Fire Department Station 1: 4110 Big Creek road
- Long Creek Volunteer Fire Department: 924 Gunter Corner Road
The agency said they would provide generators to those volunteer fire departments if the weather gets severe.