With lower temperatures expected to dip into the 30s Tuesday and Wednesday night, including for New Year's Eve, three cold weather shelters will open the evenings of Tuesday, Dec. 30 and Wednesday, Dec. 31 for those experiencing homelessness, county officials have announced.
Those locations are:
First United Methodist Church — 1000 Ohio Avenue, St. Cloud
Iglesia Del Nazareno Casa De Vida — 2367 Fortune Road, Kissimmee
Poinciana Christian Church — 3181 Pleasant Hill Road, Kissimmee/Poinciana
These locations will open at 6 p.m. and provide a nighttime refuge. Faith-based groups and other non-profits were also reaching out in areas where the homeless are known to congregate to alert them of shelter availability – and to help coordinate logistics, officials said.
Those needing transportation to the shelter location can travel at no cost using LYNX buses by alerting drivers that they will be going to the cold weather shelter. Pets are housed at Osceola Animal Services during the operation. Animals will need to be in a carrier before they board, unless they are a service dog.
Osceola’s cold weather shelter collaboration program is coordinated by the Osceola County Office of Emergency Management with participation from the cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud, LYNX, the Hope Partnership, the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, the Osceola Council on Aging, the Salvation Army, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and others in the faith-based/non-profit community.
Officials urge everyone to follow “the Five Ps for Cold Weather Preparedness:” Protect People, Protect Pets, Protect Pipes, Protect Plants and Practice Fire Safety:
Residents should practice fire safety and use safe heating sources indoors. Space heaters should be kept away from draperies, clothing, beds and any other materials that are flammable and can cause a fire. Do not use fuel-burning devices such as grills; they release deadly carbon monoxide. And, pet owners should take proper precautions for pets. Dogs and cats that could be vulnerable to the cold may need to be brought inside or given a warm shelter to stay in.
Also, Osceola County leaders have announced that, on Tuesday, the Osceola County Office of Natural Resources and the Office of Emergency Management will conduct a test of the Flood Alert Notification System at 10 a.m. The purpose is to test the County’s alerting capability for all residents and provide awareness of the flood threat. This year, all residents will be alerted, including the cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud. This test is also part of the Community Rating System criteria, which brings lower flood insurance rates to the citizens.
Residents will receive a short telephone message. The message will state: “This is a test,” followed by information on what will occur if alerting is ever required. Since the system will only act upon phone numbers, not everyone will receive the test message. In the event of a real emergency, the system will use alternative methods and call all phone numbers.
The testing ensures the County has a viable way to notify residents through the County mass notification system known as Alert Osceola. The County has the capability to notify cell phones, activate the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and NOAA Weather Radios in real emergencies.
Text ALERTOsceola to 888777 to sign up for emergency notifications. For additional flood information, or questions, contact the Office of Natural Resources 407-742-0625. For information about the test, go to Osceola.org and click on the “Flood Threat Notification” button.
