So far, two counties in Northeast Florida have announced the opening of cold night shelters, as temperatures are expected to drop significantly over the next several days heading into the New Year.
Flagler County
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The Sheltering Tree is opening the first half of this week because of cold overnight temperatures that will fall below 40 degrees Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night -- a cold start for the new year.
The shelter, operated at the Rock Transformation Center (formerly Church on the Rock), is not only for those experiencing homelessness, but for anyone who is without heat.
The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures to fall below 40 degrees during the overnight hours Monday through Wednesday (early Thursday morning), which is the criteria for opening the cold-weather shelter.
The county will provide bus transportation along two routes, following the schedules below:
East side of the county
- Dollar General at Publix Town Center on Market Avenue (leads to Dollar General), 3:30 p.m.
- McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100 at the dirt road on the east side, 4 p.m.
- Dollar Tree behind Carrabba’s in the Dollar Tree Parking lot, 4:30 p.m.
- Palm Coast Main Branch Library, northwest corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway, 4:45 p.m.
West side of the county
- Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North, 4 p.m.
- Bunnell Free Clinic, 703 Moody Boulevard, 4:30 p.m.
- Bridges United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 205 N. Pine Street, 4:30 p.m. (listed as the same pick-up time because of the close proximity)
The Rock Transformation Center is located at 2200 N. State St. The cold-weather shelter will open at 5 p.m. and will close at 8 a.m. the following day.
The Sheltering Tree, 386-437-3258, is under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center and is a non-denominational civic organization that was created to provide cold weather sheltering during cold nights in Flagler County.
Weather and heat safety preparedness tips from Flagler County Fire Rescue include:
- Never use the oven to heat the home
- All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning
- Screen fireplaces to contain sparks
- Portable space heaters should be kept 3-feet away from anything that can burn
- Turn off portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed
Gainesville
City of Gainesville officials anticipate severe weather conditions, including temperatures below 45 degrees, during the evening hours of Monday, Dec. 29-Thursday, Jan. 1.
The anticipated temperatures will lead to the activation of the city’s Cold Night Shelter (CNS) Program, and it is expected to remain in effect until overnight low temperatures rise above 45 F.
The CNS program normally runs from Nov. 1 through March 31.
St. Francis House and GRACE Marketplace at the Empowerment Center will provide Cold Night Shelter services to people in need of shelter as long as overnight temperatures remain below 45 F.
The CNS program providers serve additional persons in need of shelter so that families and individuals desiring shelter will have a warm place to stay.
St. Francis House provides temporary shelter that is appropriate for families, women and children. GRACE Marketplace primarily serves individual adults.