WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Earlier today, Wythe County officials met with the owner of Gerta’s House of Music, in order to discuss possible solutions to the county’s notice that the buildings were without proper permits.

According to county officials, two buildings on the owner’s property were being used as assembly halls for bingo and dancing events, despite only having been issued building permits to serve as a storage building and mercantile, respectively.

Following today’s meeting between the property owner and members of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors and county administration, the Wythe County building official visited the structures to discuss steps needed in order to have the buildings’ use reclassified as assembly halls.

The Wythe County building official discussed code issues with the owner and determined to allow the site to continue bingo and music events, as the owner takes the necessary steps to comply with the state’s building code.

Public safety is the primary objective of the county.  Building inspection laws exist in order to avert major losses of life.  The county is working with the owner to ensure that the building is brought to fire-safe standards.

WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Two members of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors, the county’s engineer, public information officer and director of emergency communications dedicated much of this week to preparing for unthinkable disasters.

The training is part of a national program launched by FEMA, known as the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

The purpose of the program is to establish a comprehensive, national approach to incident management by federal, state, territorial, Tribal and local responders.

Artie Hall, Vice Chairman of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors, says the training was very helpful.

“Unimaginable disasters occur every day across the nation. With the two interstate highways crisscrossing our county, preparedness needs to remain the foremost concern of the county,” said Hall.

East Wytheville’s newly elected board member, Steve Willis, agreed.
Willis said, “You can never prepare for every incident, but it’s nice to understand have a basic understanding of the framework.”

Also participating in the three-day training were officials from the Wytheville Community College, Town of Wytheville, as well as members of local law enforcement and fire and rescue services.

Several Wythe County employees have already participated in the training program.

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in Blacksburg has issued a wind chill warning for Wythe County and surrounding localities throughout today and much of tomorrow.

According to NWS, “bitter cold air, strong gusty winds and dangerous wind chills” can be expected in the coming hours as an Arctic front will move through the region.

NWS warns that “wind chills will begin to drop to dangerous values by 4 p.m. today.”

The quick drop in temperature will rapidly freeze any water left on the roads from rain that fell overnight. The severe cold may also result in frozen water pipes and frostbite will be a very real danger to exposed skin.

Monday evening’s temperature is expected to dip anywhere between five and fifteen degrees, while tonight’s lows have potential to fall to -10˚.

Wind chills will bring the “feels like” temperature anywhere from 0 to -15˚, by late this afternoon, and will reach as low as -30˚ tonight.  Wind gusts are expected to reach up to 40 mph.  This will result in frost bite and lead to hypothermia if precautions are not taken. Pets need protection from the cold as well.

Wythe County residents are urged to take precautionary steps, in order to safeguard their lives and property.

Precautionary steps will include, avoiding going outside unless absolutely necessary over the next two days, bringing pets inside, preparing pipes for extreme freezing and having alternative heat sources ready, in the unexpected event of power loss.

Wythe County’s Emergency Management Department will continue to monitor weather conditions and the county’s public information officer will notify residents of any changes.

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This morning, Wythe County’s public information department announced that the county had been awarded a grant from the state’s Rescue Squad Assistance Fund in the amount of $42,566.59.

The grant will provide funding for the county’s E-911 center to purchase specialized computer software that will aid dispatchers in providing pre-arrival instruction to callers – instructions that can make all the difference in areas geographically cut off from main roads and dozens of minutes from local rescue squads.

By asking the callers specific questions concerning their medical emergency, dispatchers will be able to feed the software detailed information which in turn narrows down the patient’s exact medical needs and treatment procedure.

“This software will give our dispatchers the ability to provide critical emergency instructions to county residents, as well as those along our interstate highways, while emergency responders are in route,” stated James Copeland, Director of Wythe County Emergency Communications.

Jeremy Farley, Wythe County’s grant coordinator, agrees, “The implementation of this software is only a small element of a much larger undertaking, aimed at ensuring county residents and visitors are provided the very best level of care possible.  We’re grateful for our partners in the towns of Wytheville and Rural Retreat for their assistance in securing this grant.”

County emergency officials say once the software has been purchased, each E-911 emergency dispatcher will undergo extensive training in the program.

Dispatchers certified to offer emergency instructions to callers will undergo additional training  on the latest medical protocols every two years.

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