Winter Weather Help

FEBRUARY 2 – FEBRUARY 5, 2023:

Boston is currently in a COLD WEATHER EMERGENCY. You can find more information here: https://www.boston.gov/news/mayor-wu-declares-cold-emergency-friday-through-sunday

Mayor Wu is advising all residents to take precautions, including reminding them to check in on older adults, people with disabilities and people experiencing homelessness.

If you see people experiencing homelessness out in the cold or in distress, please call 911.

If residents are aware of anyone staying in a vehicle or a place not intended for living during these extreme cold temperatures, they are encouraged to call 911 as well.

Extreme Cold Weather Tips:

• Limit outdoor time for the whole family, including pets.
• If you go outside, dress in layers and cover exposed skin. Wear a hat and mittens (not gloves). Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs.
• When outside, stay active to maintain body heat and take frequent breaks from the cold.
• Be a good neighbor. Check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially people who are elderly, those with medical conditions, and those who may need extra help.

Familiarize Yourself with Signs of Hypothermia and Frostbite:

Signs of Hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness and apparent exhaustion. If you or someone you know shows any of these symptoms, take their temperature; if it is below 95, seek medical attention immediately. Remove wet clothing, wrap the person in blankets or put on dry clothing. If symptoms are severe, call 911.

Signs of Frostbite include loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes, and the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, get the person to a warm location, seek medical attention immediately.

Local Warming Centers:

• Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) will activate warming centers at community centers during their normal operating hours.
• Residents can visit the Boston Public Library Central or branch locations during their normal operating hours; Cambridge Public Libraries are also open.
• Southampton Street Shelter for men over 18 years of age and Woods Mullen Shelter for women over 18 years of age are open 24/7.
• Amnesty is in effect and anyone with a non-violent restriction may come in.
• Pine Street Inn’s mobile outreach vehicles will be out on the street with extended hours.
• The Engagement Center on Atkinson Street will be open with expanded hours from 6am to 7pm.
• Outreach workers have been engaging with unhoused people in the area of Mass and Cass to inform them of the upcoming cold weather and of resources they can access.
• The Salvation Army’s Drop-in Center, 402 Massachusetts Avenue, will extend hours and will be open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday (2/3) and Saturday (2/4).
• The First Step Street Outreach team will be operating between 2 p.m. and Midnight both Friday (2/3) and Saturday (2/4). They will transport people who are willing to go inside and will provide resources to those who do not wish to go inside. Members of the public who see unsheltered persons in Cambridge they are concerned about can call the First Step team at 617-592-6895 or call 911 for a medical emergency.
• Cambridge Fire Department will be increasing staffing on all engines and ladder trucks from 7 p.m. Friday (2/3) through 7 a.m. Sunday (2/5).
• Paramedic units will be engaging people who need assistance, providing information about warming centers, and helping facilitate transportation as needed.
• Cambridge Police Department is coordinating with its partners to bring in two additional Outreach Officers Saturday morning and evening (2/4) to attempt to locate anyone who may need to get indoors. The Cambridge Police Department lobby at 125 Sixth Street is also open for people who need a place to escape the cold.

View Boston’s Fact Sheet for Those Experiencing Homelessness