Editor’s note: This information will be updated as needed.

By Bonnie Culverhouse

While the path of Beryl is still a little up in the air, City of Minden officials held an emergency preparation meeting Monday morning to ensure all bases are covered in case of weather-related issues.

Brian Williams, Minden Fire Chief and director of Webster Parish Homeland Security said it appears the parish will receive weather from the east side of the hurricane, which was downgraded early Monday to a tropical storm.

“We’re still a little far away to know if it’s going to move more easterly, but we are on the eastern side of it, and we are expecting 20 mile-per-hour sustained winds and one to two inches of rain over two days,” Williams said. “As it keeps moving north, the weather service is saying it is deteriorating a bit.”

Texarkana may receive the brunt, he said, as it is in the path of the eye.

Mayor Nick Cox gathered managers of Public Works, Streets, Utility, Water, police and fire departments to discuss any possible side effects and how those will be handled. Cox said all city utility crews are on standby and public works vehicles are fueled.

Fire departments and street crews are prepared with chain saws to open streets with downed trees.

If power is lost or homes are destroyed, there are some places where citizens can seek shelter, but those spots are limited due to lack of infrastructure.

“We partner with the parish or school board for temporary shelter – we can utilize schools,” Williams said. “The plan for the city used to be the Rec Center, but it’s not right now because we don’t have a generator. If the state declares an emergency, we can get a generator in.”

Street Department Manager Terry Combs said there are already 150 to 200 sandbags ready at the 1400 Talton Street location. Williams said there are other sandbag locations in the parish – Webster Parish Police Jury Public Works Barn, 1731 Penal Farm Road, Sibley; WPPJ Public Works Barn, 6137 Highway 2, Sarepta; and Webster Parish Fire District 3, 2344 Highway 163, Doyline.

The city and parish will have Everbridge Mass Notification system by the end of July. It will alert citizens of storms, downed trees, road closures and other emergency events.

For more information in the parish, visit websterparishla.org and click Emergency Management in the sidebar.