Shelters Around Tulsa Work To Keep People Safe From Dangerous Cold

Staff and volunteers at shelters and warming stations around Tulsa said they are working overtime to keep everyone safe. Temperatures dropped to 11 degrees on Thursday night, creating dangerous conditions.

Shelters said they watch the weather and plan accordingly in order to help as many people as possible. At John 3:16 Mission in downtown Tulsa, Rev. John Whitaker said about 212 people stayed at the shelter Thursday.

The Mission said there is space for others to stay overnight.

A few blocks over at the Salvation Army Center of Hope, there is room for 276 people to stay overnight. Those spending the night may also stay during the day. The center serves a public meal every day at 1 p.m.

At the Tulsa County Emergency Shelter, social services director Charles Wall said the overnight shelter is at capacity. The shelter holds just 28 people overnight due to current renovations. Wall said he is grateful for dedicated staff.

"We think of this as part of what we do to operate,” said Wall. “We have a great staff that they essentially, in situations like this, stay at the shelter. They don't try to go home and leave, so they stay 24 hours, and we have a cook staff, and we have our case managers who take care of everything for us there. They're fantastic."

All three shelters mentioned are also warming stations and they are operating as normal. The shelters are also accepting donations so they can keep helping others.