CAMPBELLSBURG, Ky. (WDRB) -- When the electricity went out in Campbellsburg earlier this week, it uncovered a significant vulnerability in the small town—there’s no designated place for residents to seek warmth during emergencies.
Mary Clark, a local resident who lives alone, experienced the bitter cold firsthand. Monday morning, temperatures plummeted, leaving her in a precarious situation.
“I live two doors up, and when I woke up, that’s when I went to check on Mary,” said Bob Smith, a neighbor. “I came in and nearly kicked the door open because it was stuck. It was 20 degrees inside.”
Smith found Clark bundled in her wheelchair, shivering and crying under layers of blankets. The power outage had left her unable to light her stove.
“I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before,” Clark said. “My husband is gone.”
Smith called his brother, Bill, a volunteer firefighter in Campbellsburg. Bill Smith reached out to Fire Chief David Noe, asking if they could take Clark to a firehouse to warm up.
“Chief Noe said it would be good to put her in a firehouse,” Bill Smith explained. After a few phone calls, they found a firehouse a few miles away willing to welcome Clark.
“This town needs someone to stand up and protect our community,” Smith said. “We need a place where people can go to get warm.”
The Campbellsburg Town Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday night, but conversations quickly turned to the need for a community warming center.
The entire town, including the main fire station, had lost power for about three hours on Monday. Noe revealed that the fire station’s backup generator had failed to start. He emphasized that the department, which is run by volunteers, is not equipped to serve as a warming center.
“We have never advertised being a warming center,” Noe said. “We’re not staffed or set up for that.”
Clark is safe and warm for now, thanks to her attentive neighbors.
“I didn’t mean to be trouble for anybody,” she said.
But with winter just beginning, many residents hope Campbellsburg will take steps to ensure there’s a designated place for people to stay warm when the next outage strikes.
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