MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Officials with the Office of Emergency Management and the Memphis Fire Department confirmed 14 people sought shelter at the city’s warming center in Orange Mound Tuesday night. Seven people took shelter the day before.
The number of the people seeking shelter at the Orange Mound Community Center is somewhat low.
“I like to think that because of the early notification of the arriving storms, that people got prepared for this particular storm,” Lt. Wayne Cooke with the Memphis Fire Department said.
That means many people made plans to escape the cold.
Cooke said the Union Mission has taken in about 100 additional people.
He explained that in other storms, city shelters have cared for more than 50 people at a time.
WREG spoke with a man using the current warming center, who says he didn’t know it existed until a friend told him.
“I wouldn’t have been here if i wouldn’t have heard about it. You know, I thought I had friends and family that I could go where they was. Turned out, I couldn’t, and I’m very thankful for this place being here,” Harry Jones said.
The city launched a warming center at the Orange Mound Community Center Monday. Officials said it was chosen because it’s centrally located.
Despite the relatively low numbers, the city announced Tuesday it’s launching two additional warming centers – one in the north and one in the south – to accommodate more people.
The warming centers will be open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. at the Gaston Community Center (1048 S. Third Street) and the Ed Rice Community Center (2907 Watkins Street).
The Office of Emergency Management said people needing a ride may contact its office at 636-2525, so that it can coordinate a MATA bus to take people there.
Memphis Police are also keeping an eye out for people needing shelter, in order to tell them about the warming centers.