Tampa Bay area cold weather shelters open tonight

TAMPA BAY, Fla. -- Cold weather shelters around the Tampa Bay area will be open tonight for the homeless and those who live in homes without adequate heat.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY:

• Brandon Community Center, 510 E. Sadie St. in Brandon
  This shelter opens at 5:30 p.m. and is for homeless individuals and families with children in the Brandon Area.
  Phone: (813) 635-8179
• Metropolitan Ministries, 2010 N. Florida Ave. in Tampa
  This shelter opens at 4 p.m. and is for families.
  After hours phone: (813) 209-1077
• Salvation Army, 1514 N. Florida Ave. in Tampa
  This shelter opens at 4 p.m. and is only for adults.
  After hours phone: (813) 221-4440
• Jackson Springs Recreation Center, 8620 Jackson Springs Road in Town 'N Country  This shelter opens at 6:30 p.m. and is for adults and families. Phone (813) 554-5064
• Wimauma Community Center, 5705 Hillsborough St. in Wimauma
  This shelter opens at 6 p.m. and is for adults and families.

PINELLAS COUNTY:

• Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church, 110 S. Ft. Harrison Avenue in Clearwater  Church Phone: 442-3677 Capacity: 75
• St. Cecelia Catholic Church, 820 Jasmine Way in Clearwater  Church Phone: 447-3494  Capacity: 45
• Trinity Church of  the Nazarene, 1000 55^th St. South in Gulfport  Church Phone: 321-1598  Capacity: 20
• Boys & Girls Club of the Suncoast in Pinellas Park, 7790 61^st Street North in Pinellas Park   Phone: 574-5437 Capacity: 250 NOTE: Transportation to and from this shelter and downtown St Petersburg SVDP will be provided by Boley, Inc.
• Northwest Presbyterian Church, 6330 54^th Ave. North in St. Petersburg  Church Phone: 544-4551   Capacity: 75
• Salvation Army, 1400 4^th Street South in St. Petersburg  Phone: 822-4954  Capacity: 25
• The Turning Point, 1810 5^th Ave. North in St. Petersburg  Phones: 823-7811  Capacity: 25
• St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, 812 E. Tarpon Avenue in Tarpon Springs  Capacity: 25   

PASCO COUNTY:

• Impact Family Ministries, 5533 River Gulf Rd. in Port Richey  *Adults only.  727-869-6426
• The Holy Ground Shelter, 8835 Denton Avenue in Hudson  *Families accepted.
• The Christian Church, 34921 Chauncy Road in Zephyrhills *Families  accepted.  (813) 810-8670

SARASOTA COUNTY:

• Salvation Army Lodge-Center of Hope, 1400 Tenth Street in Sarasota
• Center of Hope, 1216 East Venice Ave. in Venice
• St. David's Episcopal Church, 401 South Broadway in Englewood
• Living Waters Lutheran Church, 12475 Chancellor Blvd. in Port Charlotte 

POLK COUNTY:

• St. Joseph Catholic Church, 532 Ave. M NW in Winter Haven
• First Presbyterian Church, 16 N. 3rd Street in Lake Wales

The Red Cross is also offering the following precautions to the public:

Protect Yourself:

• Dress in several layers of lightweight clothing, which will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat.
• Mittens provide more warmth to your hands than gloves. Wear a hat, preferably one that covers your ears.
• Seek medical attention immediately if you have symptoms of hypothermia including confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering.

 

Protect Yourself at Home:

• Prevent frozen pipes - when the weather is very cold outside, open cabinet doors to let warm air circulate around water pipes. Let the cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe - even at a trickle - helps prevent pipes from freezing because the temperature of the water running through it is above freezing.
• Keep the thermostat set to a consistent temperature.
• Check smoke alarms once a month by pressing the test button and replace batteries as necessary.
• Don't overload your electrical outlets.
• Don't forget your pets - bring them indoors.  If you can't bring them inside, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm and make sure they can get to unfrozen water.
• If you plan on using an alternate heating source, never use a stove or oven to heat your home. 
• Keep a glass or metal fire screen around the fireplace and never leave a fireplace fire unattended. 
• If using a space heater, follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to safely use the heater.  Place it on a level, hard, nonflammable surface.  Turn the space heater off when you leave the room or go to sleep.  Keep children and pets away from your space heater.

 

Preparing a Plan in Case of a House Fire:

• Identify two ways to escape from every room in the home.
• Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
• Select a safe location away from the home where your family can meet after escaping. 
• Consider purchasing and storing escape ladders for rooms above ground level and make sure to learn how to use them.
• If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second way out.  
• If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke.