Communities across the Heartland are opening FEMA buildings and storm shelters ahead of expected severe weather on Monday, April 27, as forecasters warn of tornadoes and other damaging storms. Several local agencies said the public can use those shelters if the weather worsens.
KFVS12 issued a First Alert Action Day today because of the severe weather threat. Portions of the Heartland were upgraded to a threat level 4 out of 5 for severe storms, with most of southeast Missouri and the western counties of southern Illinois in that higher-risk zone. The rest of the Heartland remains under a threat level 3.
Among the shelters being opened, the Portageville Police Department said the FEMA building will be available to the public in the event of severe weather. In Campbell, the volunteer fire department said the storm shelter at Campbell Elementary School in the rear student parking lot will open if needed. The Steele Police Department said the safe room at East Elementary School will be available if it is needed.
Other communities moved early as well. The Scott City Police Department said the FEMA building at 3000 Main Street will open at 4:30 p.m. until it is no longer needed. The city of Jackson said the Jackson Civic Center safe room will open for the duration of any tornado watch or warning in Jackson. In Wayne County, the sheriff’s department said the Williamsville FEMA shelter at Williamsville Elementary, the Greenville FEMA shelter at Greenville Elementary and the Piedmont FEMA shelter at Clearwater Elementary will open as needed.
In southeast Missouri, the St. Francois County EMA said the Truman Learning Center at Farmington School, West County Elementary School and the Central High School weight room are open to the community. The Dixon Police Department said the Assembly of God church at W. 4th St. on C Highway will open its doors for shelter at 2 p.m. The FEMA building in Ripley County will be opened to the public at 4 p.m., and the Doniphan R-I School District said the FEMA building at Doniphan Intermediate School, 904 Elm Street, will be open if a tornado warning is issued for the area.
Farther south, the Pulaski County EMA said there are no designated storm shelters in the county. But the Ohio Chapel Church east of Grand Chain and the First Baptist Church on High Street in Mound City have made their facilities available to anyone in need. In Carbondale, the city partnered with Southern Illinois University to open a storm shelter at Trueblood Hall, 1175 S. Washington Street, from 5 p.m. until the severe weather event has passed. The Hamilton County EMA said the county courthouse basement has also been opened as a storm shelter.
These openings are happening before the storms arrive, not after damage is already being reported, and they stretch across both southeast Missouri and southern Illinois. For people watching the owensboro weather headlines and broader regional warnings, the practical answer is clear: shelters are open now, and some communities are setting fixed times or warning-based triggers for when they will take people in.
