Frigid temperatures through much of the Southern Tier and parts of Northeast Pennsylvania are expected to last until Wednesday, creating an acute risk for people who don’t have a reliable place to stay, officials have warned.
A cold weather advisory is in effect across the region, with forecasts showing that temperatures could drop down to -20 degrees overnight with windchill. Temperatures like that can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
The cold is an especially deadly threat to people who don’t have a reliable place to stay indoors, said Deb Wilke, a homeless outreach worker in Tompkins County.
“When it's this cold, people have trouble surviving,” said Wilke, who also serves on the board of Second Wind Cottages, an organization that provides housing to homeless people. “People will die if they don't have means of getting warm or finding a warm place to go.”
In preparation for the dropping temperatures, local and county governments have opened warming centers and extra shelter beds to house people.
A statewide “Code Blue” emergency order, which is activated whenever the temperature and wind chill equals less than 32 degrees, is also in effect. That requires local governments to take necessary steps to ensure those experiencing homelessness have access to shelter and that shelter hours are extended.
In Tompkins County, people in need of a place to stay can access the Code Blue Shelter in downtown Ithaca, located at 300 N. Tioga Street near the Ithaca Commons.
Broome County has opened multiple warming centers, listed here. The county has also identified emergency shelters that residents can access, including at the county’s Department of Social Services office in Binghamton at 33-42 Main Street and at the YWCA and YMCA in Binghamton.
Residents in other areas can find resources from their county’s DSS office.