ORLANDO -- State officials are telling Florida residents to prepare for some of the coldest weather of the season this week.
State officials issued a statement urging all Floridians to stay inside when the temperature flirts with freezing this week. The National Weather Service said temperatures may fall to the lower to mid-30s Wednesday night.
A Freeze Warning has been issued for Sumter County until 8 a.m. Thursday, and Marion and Flagler counties until 9 a.m. Thursday. A Frost Advisory has also been issued for Lake, Volusia, Seminole and Orange counties until 9 a.m. Thursday.
The National Weather Service said the fire danger will remain elevated into the weekend.
Emergency workers said they want people to use safe sources for heating, and to keep things like space heaters and candles away from curtains and furniture. Charcoal and other fuel-burning devices that produce carbon monoxide should never be used indoors.
Emergency workers also recommended people install carbon monoxide detectors in their homes.
Donations To Coalition Continue Despite Economy
In times like these, while many of us are heating up our homes, and preparing for the cold weather, it is easy to forget those less fortunate.
That is where organizations like the Coalition for the Homeless come into play.
Usually when temperatures reach 40 degrees or lower, the Coalition declares a cold night, which means anyone in need will be allowed into their facilities regardless of space.
One change the Coalition is noticing is that in tough economic times, more families with children are coming to them for help.
In fact, the Coalition said they have seen 17 percent more families this year than in 2008.
Despite the economy, the Coalition said their lifeline -- donations -- surprisingly have not stopped.
“We've been very, very fortunate. Our community is wonderful and we get a lot of items. We're still getting contributions very fortunately. We are getting in kind items and we are very fortunate," said Muffet Robinson from the Coalition for the Homeless.
The Coalition for the Homeless is located at 639 West Central Blvd. in Orlando.
Salvation Army Also Preparing For Cold Snap
When temperatures dip, the Salvation Army allows the homeless access to their mercy closet, which offers blankets and warm jackets to those in need.
In addition, the shelter makes drastic changes to the way they operate if and when the temperatures dip below 28 degrees.
‘We'll bring them into our shelter,” said Steven Gilmore from the Salvation Army. “We have overflow capacity and different rooms around our shelter. We also, if need be, if the need is great, we'll work with the city of Orlando, as well as other shelters throughout the town to open up our gymnasium, in order to accommodate as many people as possible and get them off the streets and get them into a warm place.”
In the last two years, the temperatures have not dipped to the point where services had to be extended, nonetheless they are prepared if need be.
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