Sunday evening, Martin County came under a tornado warning.

Radar showed rotation near Calf Creek. Trees fell across the county. More than 1,000 customers lost power. A tree struck the corner of a home on Milo Road and wind reportedly knocked over a gas pump in downtown Inez.

Fortunately, no widespread destruction or serious injuries were reported.

But the storm raised a question that should not be ignored: Where are Martin County residents supposed to go when a tornado warning is issued and they do not have a safe place at home?

Right now, Martin County has no designated public storm shelter.

That needs attention.

Many people in this county live in mobile homes, older houses or places without basements. When the National Weather Service tells residents to take shelter immediately, some people simply have no good option.

That is especially concerning in a county spread across miles of mountains, hollows and rural roads.

One shelter in Inez would not solve the problem. A resident in Tomahawk, Lovely, Warfield or another outlying area may not have time to drive several miles after a tornado warning is issued.

Martin County needs a countywide plan.

Local officials should determine whether existing buildings in different parts of the county can serve as public storm shelters. Schools, fire departments, churches, government buildings and other structures should be evaluated to see whether they can provide adequate protection.

If suitable buildings are not available in some areas, officials should look at state and federal grants or other funding sources for storm shelters.

The public also needs to know where those shelters are and when they will be available.

That information should be easy to find. Residents should not have to search Facebook or start making phone calls while a severe storm is approaching.

Sunday also showed how quickly emergency crews can become busy. Martin County 911 received 17 calls about downed trees, and residents reported power outages throughout the county.

Trees can block roads. Electricity can go out. Cell service can become unreliable. Emergency responders may be handling calls in several parts of the county at once.

Residents have responsibilities, too. Families should know the safest place in their homes. They should have more than one way to receive weather warnings. Anyone who depends on electrically powered medical equipment should have a plan for an extended outage.

But local government also has a responsibility to plan for people who do not have a safe place to go.

Martin County was fortunate Sunday. The county had downed trees, widespread outages and some property damage. Still, the storm did not leave behind the devastation that residents have seen elsewhere.

That is exactly why this is the time to act.

County officials should begin identifying possible storm shelters throughout Martin County and determine what it would take to make them available during severe weather.

Residents need to know where they can go before the next tornado warning is issued.

Martin County does not have a public storm shelter plan. Sunday showed why it needs one.