Wednesday's power outages left many North Texans both in the dark and very cold. Some families were without heat for hours at a time. In response, the City of Lewisville set up warming stations at two recreation centers to keep people out of the cold.
"Generally, in this area, these things last a day, and by after lunch, the ice is melting away the roads are clearing out," Lewisville's Community Relations Director James Kunke said.
People like San Severino took advantage of the warming spots in Lewisville.
"It's cold outside. It's icy. So, we figured we could have a good time but stay indoors where it's nice to be," Severino said.
Lewisville city officials urge anyone, especially those with little or no heat, to stop by their warming stations.
"There are houses here that are 40 to 45 years old that don't have central heat, and there are people trying to get by with a space heater," Kunke said.
According to the City of Lewisville's website, Fred Herring Recreation Center (located on Civic Circle next to the Lewisville Public Library) and the Memorial Park Recreation Center (located at the corner of Valley Parkway and Corporate Drive, next to the Senior Activity Center) are open as warming centers.
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Places like the Salvation Army are also working overtime to keep people out of the bitter conditions. The Lewisville location is now an overnight shelter, but they have changed their policy this week and turned their dining room into a sleeping space.
"We've worked with the city, fire department, and police department to let them know if they find anyone to bring them here. We have been open since Monday morning at 8:00 and haven't closed yet," Salvation Army employee Gabriela Broome said. "Come night time, we are going to bring out all the blankets, and tonight we will have a few cots, thankfully, that we will set up for people to sleep in."
The City of Denton Parks and Recreation Department also suspended their requirement to obtain a recreation pass for people who want to use the recreation facilities to get out of the weather. This will allow access to the facilities during normal operating hours for all residents.
