A town hall meeting was held in Taft to discuss the recent chemical spill that required evacuations and shelter in place requirements for adults and children.

Since then county officials say some residents in Taft were concerned about the incident. So Thursday night they wanted the public to have an opportunity to learn more about what plans are in place for emergencies.

Representatives from the Kern County Fire Department, Kern County Sheriff's Office, Kern County Department of Public Health, as well as police and city officials from Taft all gathered and explained their roles in emergencies. About two dozen people attended the town hall.

"We just want the correct information out there. We want our citizens to know who the departments are in the county that are responsible for certain things in incidents like this," said City Manager Craig Jones.

"I appreciate it very much that they think we matter because Taft sometimes we feel like we don't matter in situations like this, said Taft resident Leslie Wilmer.

Kern County officials encouraged everyone at the meeting to register for alerts from ReadyKern. If there's an emergency it allows the county to call you, text you or email you with important information.