SOUTH THOMASTON – Here’s a scenario: It’s cold. The power is out and could be so out for days. Your cell phone battery is almost dead. You have no heat and could really use something warm to eat and drink. The Knox County Emergency Management Agency has your back.

On Saturday, December 1, an open house was held for the warming centers in South Thomaston, Spruce Head and Washington. The community shelters/ warming centers were open so the public could learn about what services they provide and how they could help.

South Thomaston has two warming centers, one at the Thomaston Public Library at 8 Dublin Road, directly across from the Keag Store. That one is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when necessary.

The main shelter, in Spruce Head, is the Spruce Head Community Church Emergency Shelter. Hours there are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when opened. The Spruce Head Shelter can be converted to an overnight shelter if there is a need. Pets will be allowed, if they have pet carriers. The Library Shelter will only be opened during the daytime.

Betty Thomas, an EMA director, said the shelter will serve to help area residents though difficult times.

“Disasters, power outages, we’re here to help,” she said. “It can be converted into an overnight shelter, but we have that in Spruce Head.”

Pennie Alley, library director and Keag shelter manager, said the library was a temporary shelter.

“It’s more a place where you can come and charge your phone and get a hot cup of coffee,” she said. “We have a generator, but it’s not powerful enough to run the stoves for cooking; but, we can cover the basics like heat and charging and hot drinks.”

Thomas said shelters are set up through the local EMA office and are scattered throughout Knox County.

“We work very closely with the county EMA,” she said. “They supply us with provisions and assistance, such as emergency aid, but each center is set up by the individual towns. They not open during an occurrence, but after. We’ll generally wait 24 hours. We’ve been pretty lucky the last few years in that we haven’t had too many longterm power outages. Usually the power is back on in 24 hours, but if it’s not, we’ll open.”

Thomas lives in Spruce Head and has directed EMA efforts in the area for four years.

“The warning centers help make the towns better prepared to handle emergencies,” she said. “That has been my primary goal since I took this job. To get the towns better prepared and it’s starting to come together nicely. We have a lot of really good volunteers and it’s the volunteers that make these programs successful.”

Thomas said that if they activate their emergency operations center then the county’s emergency operations center has already been activated.

 “Generally Knox County is open before we are,” she said. “They are already monitoring weather situations, power outages, or whatever disaster may be occurring. The town EOCs coordinate constantly with the county’s EOC. We are fortunate to have such a professional group of people that work there. In my opinion their director, Ray Sisk, is one of the best in the state.”

The following list is warming centers in the Knox County area:

Appleton Fire Station
Cushing Town Office
Congregational Church in Camden
Hahn Community Center in Friendship
Hope Corner Fire Station
Rockland City Hall
South School
Rockland Public Libray and Flanagan Center
St. George Town Hall
Spruce Head Community Church
South Thomaston Library
Tenants Harbor Fire Station
Watts Hall in Thomaston
Union FIre Station
Union Town Hall
Warren Community School
Warren Town Office
Mt. Olivet Masonic Lodge
Gibbs Library in Washington