St. Louis is preparing for brutal wintry weather, so check out local agencies and the media for guidance.
A photo captured by KMOV, as an unhoused individual uses a bus stop to shelter them from the cold.
St. Louis is in for some dangerous weather conditions this weekend, with strong wind, rain, and snow. As several cities are having blizzard conditions, tornadoes, and flooding, St. Louis might see a strong disruptive pattern Saturday into Sunday.
Are you prepared for what is scheduled to come? Do you have elders, handicapped, or small children prepared for the freezing temperature? Does city hall have a shelter in place, if you will, for these hapless unhoused individuals?
According to KMOV, several residents in the area are suffering without power since yesterday:
Power outages: High winds knocked out power to thousands of homes Friday evening across metro St. Louis, as the area is seeing the coldest weather so far this winter season.
Incidentally, I was driving down Big Bend this morning, and I could have sworn I’d seen a man wrapped in a blanket begging for money. Furthermore, before I update you on a report I found on Fox 2 News, I have been alerted that the shelters provided by Americorp St. Louis or a full capacity.
Therefore the City of St. Louis has alerted several shelters to open their doors during the cold weekend. They are asking those in need of a warm place to call 2-1-1.
Shelters around St. Louis are preparing for the brutal cold/KMOV
This may help as well:
Leah Hill, meteorologist KMOV tweeted this yesterday:
Resources to have on hand during the cold! Here’s the information on where to find the warming shelters around St. Louis City. Save it to your phone, you never know when this information will come in handy. Together, we can keep each other safe!
More:
The City of St. Louis typically funds nearly 850 shelter beds across St. Louis. During winter emergencies, such as the conditions the region will experience this weekend, the city provides 100 more.
Many of those extra cots are at the Biddle House Shelter, stacked wall to wall in a multipurpose room.
Michelle Gibbs, the site director for Biddle House, said that the shelter would also operate a warming center during the day and help clients connect with other services that may be able to help them stay safe in the cold.
Adam Pearson, director of the city’s Department of Human Services, said the emergency beds should cover most needs in St. Louis through the next few days. He said a longer-term issue, however, is creating more permanent housing options.
“Year round the focus needs to be, ‘How can we build more affordable housing and add that to our portfolio?’” he said.
Amanda Laumeyer, the CEO of St. Patrick Center, agreed that the focus of the city, and the region, needs to shift. She acknowledged that more shelter space is needed, but said other stakeholders in the area need to take the initiative.
“This is a city, county, state issue that everyone is facing,” she said.
In conclusion, everyone does not have access to social media or telephone. So I would suggest while you are driving around, and can safely, get out and ask an unhoused person do they know of their options.
Stay warm this weekend, and I hope my compilation helped someone. I am praying!
