TULSA, Okla. — An arctic blast making its way into the Tulsa area is prompting people to open their doors to others who have nowhere to go to stay warm.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits Thursday headed into Friday with wind chills dropping reaching between -15 and -30 degrees. A small amount of snow could accumulate Thursday morning along with those windy conditions.
A handful of local municipalities and organizations are providing shelter for those without a warm place to stay amid the dangerously cold conditions:
Tulsa
- John 3:16 Mission | 506 N. Cheyenne | Open 24/7
- The Salvation Army Center of Hope | 102 N. Denver Ave. | Open 24/7
- Tulsa County Emergency Shelter | 2401 Charles Page Blvd. | Open 24/7
- American Legion Post 1 | 1120 E. 8th St. | Open 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Bartlesville
- Ascension St. John Jane Phillips building | 219 NW Virginia Ave. | Open beginning Wednesday at 5 p.m.
- Disciples Christian Church | 5800 Douglas Lane | Open beginning Wednesday at 12 p.m.
Broken Arrow
- Central Park Community Center |1500 S Main St. | Open Dec. 22 until 9 p.m.
- Nienhuis Community Center | 3201 N 9th St. | Open Dec. 22 until 9 p.m.
Sand Springs
- Case Community Center | 1050 W Wekiwa Rd. | Open during normal operating hours
- Veterans Alliance Corps of Sand Springs | 205 N McKinley | Open for veterans during normal operating hours
Anyone looking to help get someone they know in need to a warming station can file a Housing Solutions Homeless Street Outreach Request online.
“Blankets are not enough to save somebody’s life in this weather,” said John 3:16 Mission Reverend Steve Whitaker.
“There is a lot of people who choose to live outside right now. And so I would say that we are gravely concerned about the health and welfare of homeless persons that are choosing to live outside even in this kind of weather emergency."
One of those people is April. She said she’s never used a warming station before but she might this time because wind chills will be in the negatives.
“I might be running through on the bike and be like my hands were freezing earlier. I had some gloves that somebody gave me but they were like freezing right through. I got back and I was jeez so cold, so cold, it took me five minutes to warm my hands up so I hope so,” said April.
Because there is only so much room, Whitaker is asking the community to step up and do what they can as well.
“If somebody appears to be homeless and they look like they aren’t doing well, please don’t assume that they’re stoned or they’re drunk," he said. "Please make the assumption that they’re having a health crisis, please call the authorities and say you see a homeless person that’s either down or staggering or not walking well, whatever the circumstances might be."
Trending Stories:
- Tulsa Police Foundation spreading kindness for holiday season
- DOWNLOAD the 2 News Oklahoma app for alerts
- Tulsa charity hits homeless outreach milestone
- FOLLOW 2 News Oklahoma on Facebook
- Last-minute shipping deadlines coming up for holiday gifts
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
