The freezing cold is prompting shelters to open up around Central Florida tonight.
The National Weather Service has issued a freeze warning and wind chill advisory for Central Florida from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday morning. The advisory is for Flagler, Volusia, Brevard, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.
Orange County is not opening general population shelters, but the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida on Central Boulevard will not turn away anyone tonight. The Homeless Services Network of Central Florida and the HOPE Team are reaching out to the homeless population to let them know of additional shelter capacity.
Seminole County is opening libraries during the daytime for shelter, and Rescue Outreach Mission in Sanford is open overnight.
Brevard County is opening three shelters in Titusville, Cocoa and Melbourne. The National Weather Service is also warning of a coastal flood watch on the Space Coast.
Both Volusia and Osceola counties don’t have government-owned homeless shelters, but area churches are opening their doors tonight. WFTV reports that two churches in Volusia County will be open as shelters: St. Peter Catholic Church in DeLand and First United Methodist Church in Bunnell. People can meet at North Street Facility to get transportation to the churches.
Additionally, Volusia County is keeping beaches closed to due to debris in the water and bad rip currents Wednesday and will assess the conditions the rest of the week.
Public safety officials also caution about using space heaters, warning people to not plug them into extension cords and give at least three feet of space between space heaters and furniture.
