DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – Counties across northeast Florida are stepping up preparations as the National Weather Service forecasts overnight temperatures at or below freezing Sunday through Tuesday, officials said.
Duval County has partnered with the National Weather Service on a monthlong pilot program that includes daily briefings at 9 a.m., Andre Ayoub, chief of Duval County’s Emergency Preparedness Division, said. The information is shared with first responders and “all our stakeholders,” he said, naming everyone from the sheriff’s office to the military port and electrical authorities.
Officials warned that colder-than-normal temperatures can increase 911 calls and that prolonged exposure can lead to hypothermia, frostbite and, in severe cases, death within a few hours if people are left exposed.
Ayoub said the briefings are likely to prompt county warnings to residents. “If you don’t need to be outside, stay inside. If you need to be outside, these are the precautionary measures you need to take,” he said.
Nassau County’s emergency operations center said it was not activating a special cold-weather plan, but Callahan Methodist Church, in partnership with the American Red Cross, will open an overnight shelter through Tuesday. The Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in Fernandina Beach will also serve as a cold-night shelter.
Clay County officials said they are amplifying National Weather Service messages urging residents to use safe heating sources. The county animal shelter is accepting applications for cold-weather foster homes.
News4JAX attempted to reach St. Johns County for comment but did not receive a response.