HARLINGEN — City officials have turned a community center into a shelter as residents braced for a new round of freezing temperatures amid lingering power outages Thursday.
At City Hall, officials are urging residents living in poorly insulated homes or lacking protective clothing to seek shelter, Josh Ramirez, the city’s public health director, said.
Meanwhile, ambulance crews continued to care for residents suffering hypothermia after prolonged exposure to near-record low temperatures, Rene Perez, South Texas Emergency Care Foundation’s transport director, said.
On Wednesday, officials opened the Harlingen Community Center at 201 E. Madison Ave. to help residents come in from the cold.
“Some of our residents have been without power for more than 48 hours now at no fault of their own and with no clear end in sight. We’ve decided to open one of the few buildings in the city that does have power to our residents,” Mayor Chris Boswell stated in a press release.
“Here they will have a warm place to lay their heads for the night and get a reprieve from the freezing temperatures that we’ve experienced this week,” he stated.
Loaves and Fishes ready for freeze
At Loaves and Fishes, workers were ready to offer residents a warm night as forecasters warned freezing temperatures followed another Arctic blast.
“We’re continuing to put cots out in the lobby,” Bill Reagan, the agency’s executive director, said. “Anybody who is cold is welcome.”
In the area known for its balmy winters, many residents live in poorly insulated homes or lack protective clothing.
“It’s supposed to be colder tonight and the word’s getting out,” Reagan said.
For days, Reagan has opened the shelter’s doors to residents whose homes blacked out during widespread power outages.
“They’re not homeless people,” he said. “They’re just people whose homes don’t have electricity.”
