Overton Sheriff Focusing On Welfare Checks, Hard Hit Areas

Overton County Sheriff John Garrett said the county is in a better position today than it was yesterday.

Garrett said this is in terms of outages and debris blocking roadways. However, Garrett said there are still parts of the county feeling heavy effects from the weather.

“We’ve still got a lot of power lines and stuff down, especially in the Allons community,” Garrett said. “It was hit really, really hard and so a lot of those folks are still dependent on land lines. A lot of times if those electric lines are down, the phone lines are going to be down too.”

Garrett said law enforcement has been focusing on welfare checks for elders and people with small children. He said the sheriff’s department is in reactionary mode.

“We were focusing on answering calls for service and trying to help clear roadways as much as we could,” Garrett said. “Stranded motorists, people that have spun out, things of that nature. Right now, other than patrolling the roadways and looking for hazards, we’re in a reactionary mode.”

Garrett said it does not look like the weather conditions are going away. However, state and county crews are working to keep things moving in the right direction.

“Things are looking up, as far as the guys with the state road department, city street department and our local county highway department,” Garrett said. “They’re doing an excellent job. Our rescue squads and fire departments, they’ve got cutting crews out.”

Garrett said that anyone in need of transportation to a shelter in Livingston can call the non-emergency dispatch line. That number for assistance is (931) 823-8593.