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White County shelter reaches capacity
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A two-day emergency shelter set up in Warren County didn’t attract any visitors, but that hasn’t been the case in White County.As many as 80 people have flooded the National Guard Armory in Sparta, which opened as an emergency shelter Saturday to house residents who were without power due to winter storms.According to the National Guard, the shelter reached its capacity of 80 people at its peak Saturday afternoon and has been averaging 15 overnight residents the first three nights it’s been open.“We have a lot of people who come in during the day for a hot meal and shower and then go home for the night,” said Sgt. Geovani Mariscal, who is overseeing the emergency shelter in conjunction with the Red Cross. “There are still a lot of people in this area without power and we want them to know we are here and we have space. We are serving three meals a day.”All those who have stayed at the armory thus far live on Bon Air Mountain, one of the areas hit hardest by the storm.