Trinity Lutheran to Offer Emergency Shelter for Lansdale Residents

Trinity Lutheran Church at 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale, will open its doors as an emergency shelter for Lansdale Borough residents at 4:30 p.m.

Lansdale Borough also declared a state of emergency at 2 p.m. Monday. Borough offices will close again on Tuesday.

The borough will open its Emergency Operations Center between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Monday.

According to Borough Manager Timi Kirchner, staff will be available throughout the duration of the storm to respond to any incidents that result from Hurricane Sandy.

"We're getting calls in borough hall and getting a lot of questions," said Kirchner. "We had a meeting of our management team, and we had those who are manning the phones in that meeting, and they've been given instructions on how to respond. We want staff well prepared for this."

Kirchner said the goal is to keep the borough hall phone lines open, especially to assist with Montgomery County dispatch.

"The more well-informed people answering, the better," she said. 

Questions coming in to borough hall from residents range from "Where are the shelters?" to "Where can we take our pets?"

"We haven't had calls about flooding at all," Kirchner said Monday afternoon. "That will start coming later." 

Kirchner said it is important for the borough to have an open communication with residents during the hurricane.

"The staff here is dedicated to answering phones or being out on the streets taking care of things," she said. 

Work crews in all departments are preparing Lansdale to respond quickly as the storm evolves, according to Kirchner.

Preparations include identifying the locations of barricades at places where flooding is most likely to occur during the storm.

Emergency responders will be monitoring certain areas of the borough and are ready to assist in neighborhood evacuations.

Lansdale Borough encourages residents to stay in their homes throughout the storm.

Although borough hall offices are closed Monday and Tuesday, management staff will be available to take calls from borough residents.

Contact Lansdale at 215-368-1691 for non-emergencies. Call 911 for emergencies.

Aside from Trinity Lutheran, additional shelters are available throughout Montgomery County at Cheltenham High School, Pottstown High School and Norristown High School. 

Transportation is available to Trinity Lutheran by calling Lansdale Borough at 215-368-1691 or 215-368-1801. 

No pets allowed at Trinity Lutheran Church shelter.