Cold temperatures and the possibility of snow are in the forecast in the coming days, and the city is seeking volunteers to open an extra shelter space to ensure folks have a warm place to sleep.
The Lawrence Community Shelter, 3655 E. 25th St., is the primary place for people to seek shelter during extreme weather. If LCS hits capacity — around 140 people — the city is opening overflow shelters at local churches to ensure that everyone has a warm place to sleep.
The city plans to open an overflow emergency shelter at University Community of Christ, 1900 University Drive, starting at 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9.
The church will be open as an overnight shelter from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., and volunteers are needed to work four-hour shifts. City recreational facilities are available to get warm during the days.
The city is currently short-staffed, and some members of the Homeless Response Team are out with illness, Misty Bosch-Hastings, director of the homeless solutions division, said via email Friday.
First United Methodist Church downtown is generally the first overflow shelter to open its doors, but whether it can also open will depend on volunteers, she said.
“We really need both sites open but won’t be able to do that without community support,” Bosch-Hastings said. “It’s a beautiful thing that so many people are seeking shelter, and we definitely have the space, we just need some support.”
Those who are interested in signing up can do so and learn more at this link. Volunteers must be 18 or older. For questions about volunteering, Bosch-Hastings can be reached at mhastings@lawrenceks.org or by text or call to 785-760-1481.
People can also call or text 785-760-1481 to confirm whether an overflow shelter is open and seek help. The winter shelter helpline can also be reached via email at wintershelter@lawrenceks.org.
The city has had a job opening posted for a paid Homeless Response Team member since October.
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Severe weather resources
Get warm in Lawrence:
• See this page for locations to get warm during the day and overnight, where to get help for pets and more.
National Weather Service local office (Topeka):
• Find the latest weather forecast info and severe weather advisories for the Lawrence area at this link.
• In the event of rapidly changing severe weather, such as tornadoes, the NWS posts frequent updates on Twitter, @NWSTopeka. You do not need a Twitter account to see tweets from NWS.
• NWS is also on Facebook, facebook.com/NWSTopeka.
• Call 785-234-2592 to hear the forecast.
City of Lawrence snow info:
• The city has snow information and a map at lawrenceks.org/snow that shows information about road conditions and where snowplows have been. The city typically begins snow and ice control for residential roadways when 2 or more inches of snowfall or icing occurs.
Douglas County Emergency Management:
• Follow @DgCoEM on Twitter or Douglas County, KS- Emergency Management on Facebook, facebook.com/dgcoem.
• Sign up to receive emergency alerts at dgcoks.org/emalerts.
• Find lots of tips on severe weather and other emergency preparedness on DgCoEM’s website at douglascountyks.org/emergency-management.
• Report storm damage (for non-emergencies only, and after storm danger has passed) by calling the nonemergency dispatch line at 785-843-0250 or 785-832-7509.
Evergy outages:
• Check the status of power outages on the Evergy outage map, outagemap.evergy.com.
• Report a power outage at evergy.com/report-outage, or call 800-544-4857.
• For down powerlines, call Evergy’s emergency line, 800-383-1183, if above-ground lines are arcing or making contact with trees or vegetation. Call 911 immediately if overhead power lines are on the ground or a fire starts. Do not go near the line.
Highway conditions beyond Lawrence:
• KanDrive, an app and website from the Kansas Department of Transportation, has info on highway conditions statewide. KanDrive is available online at KanDrive.gov, and its app is available for download free on the App Store and Google Play.
Air quality:
• Check the current air quality index in Lawrence and elsewhere through AirNow, airnow.gov.
Latest Lawrence news:
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
