Temperatures are dropping and people are preparing for the coming days of sub-freezing weather.
The National Weather Service has forecast a high of just 9 degrees today with wind chills around -10. Tonight's low will plunge to -2.
Although school is not being dismissed, officials are advising parents to dress their children warmly by using layers they can shed in case the weather improves as the day continues. The public schools will send reminders of the cold weather to parents via recorded phone messages, according to Amy Berendzen, assistant to the superintendent.
During cold weather, wrecker services do not get more calls than usual, but the calls they get are different, said Don Archer of Broadway Wrecking Service. Wrecker services still stay busy between diesel engines freezing or cars overheating because people did not check their antifreeze, he said.
"We get a lot of calls for unlocks, but really your doors are just frozen shut," he explained. "Sometimes they're locked, but the locks are frozen. ... The other thing about the cold weather, and it's very similar to hot weather and rainy weather, is that people lock their keys in their cars because they're in a hurry to get in somewhere out of the cold weather. Or they'll turn their cars on to warm them up and inadvertently lock the doors with the engine on."
Also very common for this time of year is frozen water lines, said Jeremy Wilhelm, field supervisor at Harold G. Butzer Inc., a plumbing, heating and air conditioning company.
"Last year was pretty cold, we had quite a severe influx of frozen water lines," Wilhelm said. "This year we've been pretty fortunate. We haven't yet, but (this) morning we'll see. People call without any heat; those are pretty common things. People, odd enough, run out of gas. That's the most common thing we see that's cold weather related."
Many people whose water lines freeze and burst call the fire department, said Jason Turner, division chief for Jefferson City Fire Department.
"Something we run into quite frequently is frozen pipes that burst and they don't know who to call so they call the fire department," Turner said.
Turner also urged people to dress in layers and make sure their children are well-equipped for the weather.
"Be a good neighbor and check on your neighbors," Turner said. "Especially if they are elderly. And make sure they have plenty of heat and they are not exposed to the cold weather elements. We also want people to use caution when using substitute heating appliances like space heaters."
Space heaters should have a trip switches that turn the device off if it is dropped or falls over, he said, and they should also be Underwriter
Laboratory approved. Turner explained it is not safe to use cooking appliances, like ovens, as supplemental heaters because it is a fire hazard and unsafe around children.
For those who do not have a home, the Salvation Army Center for Hope will be under its cold weather rule and opening its doors during the day as a place to get a hot meal and warm up. At night, they will continue to take in residents so they can sleep somewhere out of the cold weather, said Tyreka Brandon, shelter director.
The center opens for people when the temperature drops below 40 degrees. The army opened their doors two nights ago for 10 people who needed to get out of the cold, Brandon said.
"The colder it is, the more people that come in," she said. "We just really encourage people to get off the street. We really encourage them to have an ID because we do have to keep track of who comes in."
Brandon said it is hard to turn people away, but sometimes she has to if they do not have an ID or they are intoxicated. She runs the only shelter that can provide emergency housing for the homeless in Jefferson City.
Tim Rigby, 52, lives in a tent behind Hamilton-Dulle Towers with three other men and two dogs. He said he has no intention of going to the center to outlast the weather. He lived beneath the bridge over the Missouri River for six years and has seen worse weather. He shared a story how people thought he had died after a large snow storm when he didn't leave his shelter and had to fast for two days.
"I will stay warm, I will stay zipped in," Rigby said when asked how he will handle the weather. "I got it (his tent) insulated. I really don't need anything, I take care of myself mostly. ... just leave me alone."
The Jefferson City Homeless Task Force is still trying to arrange a temporary emergency shelter to give people a place to stay and keep warm. At their last meeting, it was shared that the Salvation Army is often running at maximum capacity and the need for another shelter is ever present in the city. The next meeting is 9 a.m. Jan. 17 in the public library.
Information for this report was contributed by Jeff Haldiman.
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