Jan. 3—The National Weather Service is warning people in Southwest Missouri to be on guard as a winter storm brings freezing precipitation and bitter cold temperatures to the area.
Weather forecasters are calling for temperatures to start dropping over the weekend and rain to move into the area Saturday night into Sunday.
Joplin is expected to get drizzle and rain Saturday and into Sunday but the precipitation could change to snow as the storm system moves through Sunday evening into Monday.
After that, frigid temperatures with highs below freezing and lows at night in the single digits will settle in for much of next week.
Temperatures are not expected get back above freezing until Friday at the earliest and shelters across the area are preparing to assist those facing the cold without a place to live.
—Dianna Gurley, director at Joplin’s Soul’s Harbor, 817 S. Main St., said they, too, offer overnight housing to people stuck out in the cold.
“During the day people can come into the chapel from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and stay warm or we can help them get over to the Nazarene Church of Joplin and they are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m,” Gurley said. “We open up both the chapel and our dining hall from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. and whoever wants to come stay in there can do so. We usually top out between 30 and 35 in our dining hall as well as in our chapel. But then we also have 48 people who live in our house on a regular basis.”
Gurley said the shelter accepts donations to help house those taking shelter from the cold.
“Money, blankets, any kind of food item they think people can readily eat are pretty much what we look for,” Gurley said. “We also take coats, hats and gloves anytime. If people want to donate to us they can come to 817 S. Main St. to our administration building.”
—Nathan Hicks, with the Salvation Army of Jasper and Newton Counties, 320 E. Eighth St., said that group opens its lobby and dining area for people who need to get in from the cold but it can’t house people overnight.
“We will sometimes extend our hours like during the morning when the temperature is cold, we’ll open the dining room up a little early when our cook is in there and when there’s two people inside the office,” Hicks said. “We let people be able to sit in before breakfast starts so they can come and get warmed up before breakfast. We’ll open the office as well during business hours but due to the fire code, we’re not able to be an overnight shelter.”
Hicks said the Salvation Army will direct people to help based on a list of shelters put out by the Homeless Coalition of Jasper and Newton Counties.
That list, available on the coalition’s Facebook page, shows a number of places where people can get warm during the day but only a few that offer overnight shelter.
—Another of those is Watered Gardens, 531 Kentucky Ave., Joplin., which offers help when the windchills reach 20 degrees or colder.
“We are considered what many would call a dry shelter,” said James Whitford, director of Watered Gardens. “Folks cannot come in unless they can commit to some basic rules and structure and sobriety rules and that type of thing. When it’s a windchill of 20 degrees or lower we open our foyer so anyone can at least come in out of the cold and be able to be in the heat.”
—The Carthage Crisis Center, 100 S. Main St., announced on Friday that it will allow people with nowhere to go to stay overnight in its lobby.
“We have very limited space but we want to be sure to provide an option to help those in need when extreme cold temperatures arrive,” said Jim Benton, who is putting off resigning from the shelter until a new director is found.
“We don’t accept people who are drunk or whatever else, but in cold weather we make an exception,” Benton said. “Even if you’re under the influence we’ll take you in as long as you’re not belligerent. If you want to sleep it off, you’re more than welcome to stay with us. But because we have women and children in the shelter we’re still going to require warrant checks for anyone who stays with us.”
Benton said they’ll have rollaway beds in the lobby and they’ll be monitored.
“We want people to be safe and healthy in our lobby but we also want our residents to be healthy from people who might not be in a good spot,” he added.