PARKERSBURG — The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for Saturday across much of the area, a week after heavy winds took down trees and power lines around the Mid-Ohio Valley.

The March 25 winds knocked out the trunk lines to the Wood County 911 Center, forcing dispatchers to relocate to Doddridge County to continue fielding calls, said Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard, who also serves as county 911 director.

“The dispatchers rebounded extremely well during that,” he said. “It was down for a good part of the day, but they were back up and running within 35-40 minutes once they realized what was going on.”

The dispatchers were able to set up laptops and take calls from Doddridge County’s 911 center, Woodyard said.

Calls still got through on the Wood County center’s non-emergency line, 304-485-8501, but Woodyard said the situation underscores the importance of people having a plan in the event of an emergency.

If someone cannot contact 911, they should know where to go for assistance, whether that’s the nearest hospital or, in the City of Parkersburg, a fire station, Woodyard said. People should also have food and water available in the event of a widespread power outage and make sure batteries for lifesaving medical equipment are charged, he said.

“With the high winds like that, we may lose power, we may lose lines, we may lose radio communications,” Woodyard said, noting they have backup plans in place, like the one executed last week.

Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph are expected “throughout much of the day” Saturday, said Tom Mazza, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Charleston. With so much rain recently, and last week’s strong winds, trees and even structures could be more prone to damage Saturday, he said.

Due to the expected weather, the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley is asking the community to help shelter dogs. The HSOV provides services for all of Washington County, and is working in emergency mode to provide resources like dog crates hoping residents can provide a temporary home for the dogs in their care, said a press release from HSOV.

The Marietta animal shelter received wind damage from the March 25 winds and is undergoing construction, limiting kennels to use to house dogs. Supply crates and food will be provided, if needed.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com