As temperatures drop below freezing in South Central Alabama, Montgomery is opening a warming center for residents in need. The center will be open nightly through the end of the week.
The Montgomery City/County Emergency Management Agency has activated the warming center at the Crump Community Center, located at 1751 Cong W L Dickinson Drive. The center will provide shelter during overnight hours, extending operations as temperatures remain below freezing.
"It's usually just at night, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Due to the extreme temperatures we are having we are extending operations to 11 a.m. in the morning to allow us to get out of freezing temperatures before we start releasing citizens back out to the public," Wade Lyles, Montgomery City/County Emergency Management Director, said.
City officials emphasized that the warming center is open to anyone in need, especially those without heat or electricity.
"If you don't have anywhere to go, come. It's a free service, we're going to do it whether citizens show up or not, just so they know that is a resource available to them, should if and when they ever need it," said Lyles.
The shelter will remain open nightly through Sunday, Feb. 1, with extended morning hours running through Saturday.
"We are going to be below freezing and meet the criteria every night. Through Saturday, we are going to run those extended hours and then later in the week, we're going to sit down, reassess the situation and see if we need to continue extended hours or go back to our normal," Lyles said.
Transportation is also available for those who need it. The M-Transit Route Eight, which runs between Gunter Park and the Eastdale Mall, is scheduled to arrive and depart directly from the Crump Community Center.
