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NATCHEZ — The Adams County Emergency Management Agency plans to open the Safe Room when necessary, located at 323 Liberty Road, making it available for residents who need warmth and shelter during the expected winter storm, forecast to begin on Monday morning.

“We are on top of it,” said Robert Bradford, Adams County EMS director. “We continue to monitor the situation and are in constant contact with the Adams County Road Department and MDOT.”

Bradford said because Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday, schools will be closed.

“We have a conference call planned with county and school officials on Monday at 2 p.m., which is where we will make decisions about Tuesday,” he said.

Plans are now to have the Safe Room open from Monday through Wednesday.

“We will determine later if we need to extend that to Friday. We are expecting one or two days of bad weather,” Bradford said.

He said the National Weather Service is predicting precipitation to begin starting late on Sunday here.

“We will have another weather briefing tomorrow with the National Weather Service and will know more after that,” Bradford said. “We ask that people continue to prepare and monitor the situation. We will begin sending out Code Red alerts as needed.”

In Concordia Parish, Sheriff David Hedrick’s office said warming stations will be open at the Monterey Fire Department, the Clayton Town Hall and the first floor of the Vidalia Courthouse. Residents who plan to visit them must call 911 and notify the dispatcher which location they plan to visit. The warming stations are not shelters.

Some ways to prepare now include:

• Keeping your home at a minimum of 55 degrees.

• Caulk and weather strip your doors and window to keep cold air out and heat in.

• Remove any garden hoses attached to faucets and wrap outdoor, exposed faucets.

• Never leave a candle burning unattended.

• Make certain you have batteries needed to power flashlights and weather radios. Make certain to keep your cell phones charged.

• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to circulate warm air around plumbing, especially if your sinks are on an exterior wall.

• Let cold water slowly drip from faucets to prevent pipes from freezing.

• Install a smoke alarm and be sure the batteries are working properly.

• Have your chimney inspected.

• Stock up with enough food and water to last for one week. Fill your gas tank. Freeze water for later use.