HOULTON, Maine — What would the town of Houlton do in the event of a major weather event in the Shiretown? Where would people go, and who would help them?
That is the topic of a special meeting planned for Wednesday, March 28, at 6 p.m. at the Houlton Fire Department’s training room. The meeting was originally slated for March 8, but, ironically enough, was postponed due to a winter storm.
Held in conjunction with the Aroostook County Emergency Management agency and the local branch of the American Red Cross, organizers and participants will discuss how town officials would handle a prolonged emergency or catastrophic weather event in Houlton.
Houlton Town Manager William MacDonald said the idea for hosting a public seminar to build a volunteer base was a combined effort between the three agencies. Any interested residents are encouraged to attend this meeting to learn how they can volunteer and help plan for an emergency shelter situation.
“This meeting is a follow up to a review of our (emergency) plans, which we are updating,” MacDonald said.
Houlton Middle-High School is the town’s designated “emergency shelter” because of the amenities the school can provide. It is equipped with a generator, has multiple shower and bathroom facilities and a full kitchen. It also has enough room to accomodate a large number of people, if needed, in its gymnasium, cafeteria, auditorium and classrooms.
Assistant Town Manager Cathy O’Leary, who has more than 40 years experience in Houlton’s town office, said she could not recall any time during her tenure that an emergency shelter had ever been activated.
“Shelters are not typically activated until three days into an event,” MacDonald explained. “But it is also important to be able to get the school back open, so we can get back to normal. You can’t be running your school if you are using it as a shelter.”
Therefore, the town is considering the possibility of using the Gentle Memorial Building as a “warming center” to be activated for weather events on a smaller scale. In order to do that, additional planning must be done.
“A lot of towns in the southern part of the state used warming centers during the Ice Storm of 1998,” he said. “A warming center is different from a shelter as it is a place people can come, warm up, and get a hot cup of coffee.”
To that end, a pool of town volunteers would be needed to help man such a center, which will be one of the primary focuses of the March 8 gathering.
“It is crucial for us to have a team of trained volunteers, who are prepared to assist should the need arise,” MacDonald said.
For more information on this event, call 532-7111.
