WORCESTER – The Worcester Senior Center, at 128 Providence St., will serve as a temporary, emergency overnight warming center between 8 AM on Friday, Feb. 3, through 6 PM on Sat. Feb. 4.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a wind chill watch that includes central Massachusetts from late Thursday night through Saturday afternoon and warns of dangerously cold wind chills as low as 35 below zero.
Members of the Department of Emergency Management and volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps and Community Emergency Response Team will staff the temporary warming center throughout its operating hours.
City Manager Eric Batista’s office said the Worcester Quality of Life Task Force will reach out to members of the homeless community this week and refer individuals to services as needed.
The city also provided the following tips to urge residents to take precautions during the upcoming extreme cold temperatures.
- Avoid outdoor exposure for extended periods and cover exposed skin. Dress in layers and stay dry;
- Watch for frostbite, which can develop in under a minute;
- Heat your home safely. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for heating your house with a space heater. Keep three feet of space around the space heater, and use a dedicated outlet;
- Open cabinet doors that enclose any indoor pipes to allow warm air to circulate and prevent freezing;
- Keep pets indoors and check paws for signs of injury/damage;
- Dry your clothes at a lower temperature when drying heavy loads to guard against accidental fires;
- Check on neighbors and elders often; and
- Keep an emergency supply kit in your car.
The city’s website has additional tips to prevent pipe freezing.
Residents who experience a failure of heating systems or frozen pipes are asked to contact Worcester 311 on its website, by dialing 311, or emailing [email protected]. Worcester 311 has extended hours on Saturday from 7 AM to 1 PM. Residents can also sign up for ALERTWorcester for emergency notifications.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has additional cold weather safety and preperation tips on its website.
With dangerously cold weather in the forecast @TweetWorcester is activating the Worcester Senior Center as a temporary emergency overnight warming center open to the public from 8AM on Friday, Feb. 3 until 6PM on Saturday, Feb. 4. @Worcester311 will be open 7AM-1PM on Saturday.
— CM-Batista (@CM_Batista) February 1, 2023
