Palm Coast Times

County of Flagler issued the following announcement on March 11.

March 11, 2022 – The Sheltering Tree will open a cold-weather shelter Saturday night at the Church on the Rock not only for the homeless, but for anyone who is without heat.

The National Weather Service on Friday afternoon issued a freeze watch for areas west of Interstate 95 late Saturday night into Sunday morning, which means temperatures could dip to 28 degrees. The last time temperatures were in the 30s in March was five years ago – 2017 – when the official weather recording station in Daytona Beach reported a low of 37 degrees.

“Before those temperatures drop, we could see some severe storms Friday night into Saturday with strong wind gusts,” said Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord. “There is the potential for large hail or a tornado, but those are a lesser concern.”

Weather and heat safety preparedness tips include:

• Secure anything that may be blown about by winds
• Subscribe to Alert Flagler www.FlaglerCounty.gov/AlertFlagler
• Stay weather aware throughout the weekend
• Never use the oven to heat the home
• Turn off portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed
• All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning
• Screen fireplaces to contain sparks

The criterion for opening the cold-weather shelter is based on an overnight temperature that dips below 40 degrees.

Church on the Rock is located at 2200 N. State Street. The cold-weather shelter will open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday evening and will close at 8 a.m. the following day.

Transportation is available for those who need it through Flagler County. There are two routes that follow the schedules below:

• Hidden Trails Community Center, 3 p.m.
• Espanola Community Center, 3:30 p.m.
• Bunnell Free Clinic, 4 p.m.
• First United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 4:30 p.m.
• Veteran’s Park Flagler Beach, 3 p.m.
• Flagler County Social Services, 3:15 p.m.
• A1A Tennis Center, 5633 N Oceanshore Blvd., 3:30 p.m.
• Dollar Tree (by Carrabas), 4:10 p.m.
• Palm Coast Main Branch Library, 4:30 p.m. (possibly as late as 4:40 p.m. depending on traffic)

The Sheltering Tree, 386-437-3258, is under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center and is a non-denominational civic organization that was created in 2011 to provide cold-weather sheltering during cold nights in Flagler County.

Original source can be found here.