New Emergency Shelter Opens in Llewellyn

Llewellyn’s Good Intent Hose Co #1 will now be available as an emergency shelter for all residents of the Pottsville and Minersville school districts.

Good Intent is located at 12 Silverton Road in Llewellyn. Fire company president John Bushar announced the status of the fire company as a public emergency shelter in a letter to members.

“I have been working with the command structure to put a program in place and I’m proud to announce, effective immediately, the station will be open to the public any time a long-term power outage should occur,” Bushar wrote in the letter. “We have a rather large social hall powered by a 100kW emergency generator that can handle just about anything we throw at it.”

Bushar said that the station will be staffed throughout the outages by emergency medical personnel as well. 

The shelter will be available when the following conditions exist:

• During widespread power outages longer than four hours when outdoor temperatures are above 85.
• During widespread power outages longer than 2 hours when outdoor temperatures are below 35. 
• If flooding is expected to reach unsafe levels in or around the fire company’s primary coverage area.
• If the Governor of Pennsylvania has declared a natural disaster or state of emergency that directly affects the residents.

If a power outage is not widespread, individuals who are affected may be able to contact members of the fire company to request that it be available for them.

Maximum capacity is 125 residents and they will be accommodated on a first-come, first served basis. If the shelter is needed overnight, several cots are available and will be offered to the elderly, women and children on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those who are unable to travel to the fire company may be able to arrange transportation. 

Pets may be permitted but fire company officials must be contacted before pets are brought there.

“Over the past winter we had two substantial weather-related power outages,” Bushar wrote in his letter. “During these events we scrambled to get our doors open to the public as a warming station for anyone who needed it.”