LOUISVILLE, Ky. — By Friday morning, it will feel like it's 20 degrees below zero — weather that can quickly become dangerous and even deadly. It’s why shelters, like the Salvation Army, are gearing up ahead of the cold.
Capt. Jimmy Parrish is the commander of the Louisville Area Salvation Army. He said they’ve got around 300 beds at their facility, but with it already so cold, there isn’t many that are available.
“If you need a place to stay, obviously by six p.m. you need to come down, get in line, sign up, so we can get you in here,” Parrish said.
Parrish adds he expects the facility to be at capacity by the end of the week. Once they run out of room, the organization works with the Coalition for the Homeless to find open beds at other shelters.
“It will be at capacity, we assume, at the end of the week and this weekend and so we will make sure that we have somewhere for somebody to sleep,” Parrish said.
State agencies are also preparing help in a number of ways. Tuesday morning, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear reminded people to have a plan for this week. He also said his administration is working with cities and counties to open places across the commonwealth for people to get out of the cold.
“We are going to be working with counties to set up warming centers so everybody has a place to go if they need it, and folks be careful,” Beshear said.
The governor went on to say more details on the state’s plan for the weather event will be announced Wednesday. Keeping Kentuckians safe, Beshear said, is the top priority.
“Sadly, often times we lose more people due to coping with the weather and trying to stay warm than we do with the weather event itself,” Beshear said.
Parrish added this is far from the first cold snap the Salvation Army has dealt with.
“We’re prepared, we’ll be ready and we’ll make sure that everybody is fed, taken care of and inside a facility out of the elements,” Parrish said.
The city of Louisville issues a White Flag Warning when temperatures fall below 35 degrees. Once that happens, area shelters open their doors for people to stay the night. Wayside Christian, The Salvation Army and Saint Vincent de Paul all participate.
Quentin Childers, assistant director of Crisis Housing at Saint Vincent de Paul, said they are prepared to handle an influx of people needing to stay at their shelter, which has around 40 beds. Childers added in previous White Flag Warnings, they normally do reach capacity.