NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — With winter weather right around the corner, frostbite and hypothermia are a major concern, especially for those living outside.
Organizations have already been hard at work preparing for the worst while making sure our community’s most vulnerable are in the best situation possible.
“It’s just part of who we are and what we do,” said Major Bill Mockabee, the area commander for the Salvation Army. “This is our everyday life.”
Thursday has been called a critical point as it’s the last day before forecasts show a major winter weather event sweeping across the state.
“Knowing that this event has been forecasted for at least the last week, we’ve had time to be able to prepare our team and make sure that we have supplies ready,” Mockabee explained.
There are the typical items you think of when it comes to cold weather; gloves, hats, and hand warmers. Instead of getting them from a store, the Salvation Army has them ready to go for those who are most vulnerable.
“The difference between 32 and being cold and being 32 and being cold and wet is life-threatening,” Mockabee said.
This week, the organization has already been out.
“One of our LifNav teams is already out and about doing Cold Patrol, which means they are out in the encampments right now helping to get people together, to get their belongings together to take them to the warming shelter and making sure that they’re not stuck outside during these cold temperatures and then with the precipitation they’re expecting.”
According to Sept. 2024 data from Metro’s Office of Homeless Services, there are over 3,000 unhoused people in Nashville. For those with nowhere to go at night, outreach workers have been giving out warm weather gear to those who need it most.
“They are going to be going into the encampments and walking around to those individuals that they already have a relationship with, making sure that they know that they have that ability to get into the van with them to go there,” Mockabee said.
With temperatures expected to hit below 30 degrees Farhrenheit, the organization says now is the time to find warm shelter before it’s too late.
“Those people who are experiencing homelessness right now usually already have underlying health issues,” Mockabee said. “This isn’t just an inconvenience for them, for many of those individuals we’re talking about, this can be life-threatening.”
The Cold Patrol will be out again Friday morning as long as the roads are clear. Anyone wanting to donate time, supplies, or money, to help the Salvation Army meet the demand, can do so on their website.
Don’t forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app.
