preparing for travel and emergency shelter options

Somerset County officials explained that warming shelters are available across the area for anyone who needs them. If you live in another county or can’t make it there and need to stay warm, officials with the Red Cross said there are a number of things you can do to be safe.

“Right now, we’re experiencing some cold weather that is more than we’re normally used to. Through these days and especially going into next week, we’re looking at negative digits. We’re asking people to prepare to go out to the weather,” said Kevin Broadwater with the Somerset County Department of Emergency Services.

He said that his organization is offering a number of warming shelters, which are located in senior centers across the county. 6 News spoke with emergency officials in our 9 other counties, who said that while they don’t have shelters available now, they’re ready to open them up if there’s an emergency.

If you don’t live in Somerset County and need to get warm, Broadwater had another piece of advice.

“The warming shelters are open to anybody who’s needing to get warmed up. Thinking things beyond the warming shelters, going into a store that’s open during the day just to get to heat. A lot of people are inviting others in as we look out for each other in the times of the cold weather,” he said.

Tessie Amaranto with the Red Cross said that her organization works with warming shelters to provide things like cots, water, and volunteers when needed. She said that safety during this season should be a top priority, especially when temperatures are expected to reach the negatives.

“Being ill-prepared in a cold situation, especially as we’re facing right now, frostbite is your number one concern,” she explained.

Safety officials also said that if you’re traveling, you can stay prepared by treating every trip as if your car will break down. They explained that keeping an emergency kit can be a big help.

Broadwater said, “Make sure you have fuel in your vehicle, your cell phones charged up. If you are able to, have a couple extra blankets in your vehicle.”

“You want to make sure that you have those readily prepared and are able to grab those if you are required to leave home and go to a shelter or to a warming center,” added Amaranto.

Click here for information from the Red Cross on keeping safe in the cold, and click here for information on shelters throughout the entire state.

Check out the Facebook post below for a list of Somerset County warming shelters: