Inside Carroll County Emergency Operations Center, staff prepares for severe storm
A team of Carroll County emergency responders packed into the county's E-911 center Saturday ahead of overnight storms as the county activated its Emergency Operations Center.
Major Craig Dodson with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office shared with Channel 2′s Brittany Kleinpeter that the county had been prepping for the storm all week.
'We're just ready to see what we have to tackle,' said Dodson.
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Felicia Rowland, director of E-911, said once the EOC is activated, her team works hand in hand with law enforcement to field calls and dispatch.
'When we are inundated with calls, we turn into call takers, where we're just gathering the information. Then our emergency operations center, which is in the conference room next to us, turns into dispatch,' said Rowland.
For the first time under Dodson's leadership, the sheriff's office also opened a temporary storm shelter for those who feel unsafe in their current housing situation.
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'You hate to tell somebody they need to go seek shelter, but you can't tell them where to go, so we thought we'd provide it,' said Dodson.
Residents began arriving outside the designated shelter at the Sheriff's Office Training Room just before 6 p.m.
Carroll County resident Betty Williams said she wanted to make sure she had someone by her side during the major weather event.
'I live alone, and I didn't want to be by myself tonight,' added Williams.
Mother Leah Neely shared similar sentiments about why she and her daughter decided to shelter at the training facility.
'I don't do storms at all. I don't do tornadoes, so I just want to make sure that we're in a safe environment,' said Neely.
The shelter is expected to stay open through Sunday at 6 a.m.
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