Much of Central New York is preparing for a week-long winter cold snap beginning Friday night.
According to the National Weather Service, lows in the region will dip below zero degrees on Saturday, with highs hovering between single digits and the teens by day. Wind chills will dip even lower into the sub-double digits.
In Oneida County emergency services are setting up a multi-agency support system.
“We're communicating with all of law enforcement, communicating with our hospitals,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, who anticipates facilities that are open 24/7 will be beacons for people who have no housing.
In the city of Rome, crews were also preparing for winter’s wrath by coordinating first responders with other agencies to meet the unhoused where they’re at.
“We're sending out our fire department on a UTV with tracks that's going to go through the trails where a lot of the homeless people have been staying throughout the whole year,’ said Mayor Jeff Lanigan. “They're going to have supplies with them, or get them rides in.”
Ultimately, they will be taken to warming shelters across the county, including Oneida’s main office in Utica.
Central New York residents are urged to limit outdoor exposure, sign up for emergency notifications through NY-Alert, and stay informed about winter roads and travel conditions through 511-NY.
If you do not have a safe place to stay out of the cold, call 211 for the nearest warming shelter in your community.