North Texas warming shelters open as temperatures fall again

Warming shelters are opening across North Texas as frigid temperatures are expected across the area once again.

A cold front will drop temperatures below normal with wind chill values in the teens Sunday morning before an arctic front brings in a chance for a winter mix Tuesday.

Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to activate the state's emergency response ahead of the big weather change.

In anticipation of the cold and wet weather early in the week, the Fort Worth Independent School District has already rescheduled some outdoor activities and will notify students and parents of other schedule changes. All soccer games in the district set for Tuesday, Feb. 18, will now be played on Monday, Feb. 17. Fort Worth ISD also plans to reschedule softball and baseball games as well as track meets as needed.

Arlington, Dallas, Denton, Garland, Lewisville and the Salvation Army of North Texas have activated warming shelters for people needing assistance.

ARLINGTON WARMING CENTERS

The city of Arlington will activate its Emergency Weather Shelter Plan on Saturday, Feb. 15 and Sunday, Feb. 16. The Salvation Army in Arlington located at 712 W. Abram St. will begin intake at 7 p.m. through 10 p.m. IDs are required and meals will be served.

Arlington’s Homeless Emergency Cold Weather Shelter plan is activated on days when temperatures reach 39 degrees or below for four or more consecutive hours overnight.

Arlington libraries will also be open during regular business hours for those seeking shelter.

For more information on Arlington's warming shelters, click here.

SALVATION ARMY OF NORTH TEXAS

The Salvation Army of North Texas is opening six of its overnight warming shelters across three counties in response to the drop in temperature, according to the organization.

The following locations are activating Wednesday and Thursday night:

• The Carr P. Collins Social Service Center (5302 Harry Hines Blvd.)
• The Denton Corps Community Center (1508 E. McKinney St.)
• The Garland Corps Community Center (451 West Avenue D)
• The Arlington Corps Community Center (712 W. Abram St.)
• The Mabee Social Service Center (1855 E. Lancaster Ave.)
• The Lewisville Corps Community Center (880 Fox Ave.)

For more information and details on Salvation Army of North Texas warming shelters, click here.

DALLAS WARMING CENTER

The Austin Street Center located at 2929 Hickory St. in Dallas is at capacity, so starting Sunday the secondary shelter at Fair Park's Grand Place Building at 3701 Grand Ave. is open. It can accommodate 900 people. The Connector Bus, operated by Austin Street Center will provide free transportation to the shelter from designated pickup points. The public is invited to visit ourcalling.org/cold or austinstreet.org/weather to volunteer or make a resource or financial donation.

PLANO WARMING STATIONS

Plano Overnight Warming Stations (POWS) offer a safe place to seek refuge from the cold. POWS open when the weather forecast includes a standing temperature of 32 degrees (or lower) or a temperature of 40 degrees along with a 50% chance of precipitation. The weather forecast for Saturday night meets those conditions and will be open.

POWS is located at EPIC (4700 14th St.), doors open at 6 p.m. and close at 10 p.m. A shuttle to POWS is available at the Parker Road DART station from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. No one will be admitted to POWS after 10:00 p.m. unless they are accompanied by Plano Police Department or Plano Fire-Rescue personnel. There is a three bag limit on the shuttle buses and they do not accept animals. However, Plano Animal Shelter will pick up and house pets free of charge for the night.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you are hoping to help those in need stay warm here are the organizations helping with winter weather services:

• The Oak Cliff Corps Community Center is collecting blankets to distribute through their ministry.
• The Plano Corps Community Center will be traveling across the county to distribute sleeping bags, hand warmer, coffee and hot chocolate to individuals experiencing homelessness.
• The Irving Corps Community Center will be traveling across the county to distribute coffee, hot chocolate, warm meals, and warming supplies to individuals experiencing homelessness.
• The McKinney Corps Community Center will be handing out “winter care backpacks” with gloves, hats, blankets, umbrellas, hydration, and snacks, in addition to serving meals, to individuals experiencing homelessness.

COLD WEATHER PREPARATION

Winterizing Your Home
Before the cold, replace worn weatherstripping on doors and windows to ensure a good seal. This will make sure warm air stays inside and cold air stays outside. Most modern windows are sealed inside the frame, but older windows may be sealed with a glaze that can crack and need replacing. The glaze may need to be applied above a certain temperature and it'll need time to cure -- this maintenance is ideally done in the spring or fall. Lastly, check your gutters to ensure they are clear and allow water to flow freely to the downspout. Blocked gutters can lead to water entering the home.  The Texas Department of Insurance also recommends trimming trees away from power lines, homes, and cars and checking the insulation level in attics.

Protecting Your Pipes
Most North Texans know to insulate their outdoor faucets, but if the cold snap is prolonged it could be a good idea to also leave inside faucets on external walls dripping overnight so that they don't freeze. The drip, drip, drip from running faucets, if heard, can be annoying, so put a sponge or towel in the sink to silently catch each drop. If you're leaving town for a few days, the Texas Department of Insurance recommends leaving cabinet doors open so that pipes on external walls are more exposed to heat. If you have pipes in an attic or crawlspace or any other exposed pipes outdoors, they'll need insulation, too. For external faucets, disconnect hoses and insulate the valves. Wrapping valves with towels is not the best long-term solution. Most, if not all, North Texas hardware stores sell inexpensive exterior faucet covers made of foam that easily attach to the faucet bib in just a few seconds and do a great job protecting the pipe from freezing. If you suspect a pipe has frozen, keep the faucet open so that water can flow when it melts. Additionally, make sure you know where your main water valve is located (and how to turn it off) in the event a pipe bursts.

Bring in Your Pets
Even if you have a pet or animal that normally lives or sleeps outdoors, they could be susceptible to cold, hypothermia, and pneumonia. The SPCA of Texas says if you're cold outside, odds are your pet is cold too. Bring pets inside and make sure other outdoor animals have appropriate shelter, dry and well insulated, to protect them from frigid temperatures and possible death.

Protecting Your Plants
Perennial potted plants should be brought indoors. Plants that cannot be brought inside will need to be covered. Delicate plants can be covered with sheets, blankets, or landscaping frost blankets, which can trap heat. During times of extreme cold, multiple frost blankets may be used. For plants left outside a day or two before a freeze hits, the Dallas Arboretum recommends watering the soil only by hand, keeping the foliage dry to insulate the plant's roots. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has more here on how to protect plants from frosts and freezes. AgriLife also has tips on how to plant for the winter.

Dallas Arboretum

Dallas Arboretum

Turn Off Your Sprinkler System
You want to turn off your irrigation system for several reasons. One is that you don't want it running on its normal schedule, potentially throwing water on streets where it can freeze and be dangerous for passing cars. Second, you don't want to risk any broken pipes or valves that may come with a system that has not been winterized. To winterize your system, the city of Fort Worth recommends that timers and back-flow devices both be turned off, even if you have freeze or rain sensors installed and that the main line be drained. Any pipes that are above the ground should also be insulated.

HVAC
Many air filters should be changed or cleaned every three months or every season. But that's not the only winterizing needed for your HVAC system. You should check your ductwork regularly for holes (whether from vibration or rodents) to ensure the airflow is uninterrupted. If part of your HVAC is in the attic, it may also be home to rats, mice, and squirrels who find the unit's warmth an ideal spot to build a nest.

Swimming Pools
Even if you have a freeze protector among your pool equipment, you'll want to look at the pump daily to ensure it's moving water through your pipes. Those pipes, too, can burst if they freeze.

Batteries
Having fresh batteries for flashlights during a power outage is always a good idea.  If you didn't replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors during daylight saving time -- now is a good time to make the switch. It's also a good idea to ensure your phone is charged so that you'll have access to timely information in the event of a power loss. Having a backup battery or power source to recharge your phone is also a good idea.