By-Line: Julie Murphy, Flagler County Government
The Sheltering Tree, which was open last night and is slated to reopen tonight (Tuesday), will open its cold-weather shelter for a third night on Wednesday at the Rock Transformation Center (formerly Church on the Rock) not only for the homeless but for anyone who is without heat.
The National Weather Service is again predicting temperatures to fall below 40 degrees during the overnight hours on December 4, which is the criteria for opening the cold-weather shelter.
The county will provide bus transportation along two routes, following the schedules below –
East side of the county
- Dollar General at Publix Town Center on Market Avenue (leads to Dollar General), 3:30 p.m.
- McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100 at the dirt road on the east side, 4 p.m.
- Dollar Tree behind Carrabba’s in the Dollar Tree Parking lot, 4:30 p.m.
- Palm Coast Main Branch Library, northwest corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway, 4:45 p.m.
West side of the county
- Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North, 4 p.m.
- Bunnell Free Clinic, 703 Moody Boulevard, 4:30 p.m.
- Bridges United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 205 N. Pine Street, 4:30 p.m. (listed as the same pick-up time because of the proximity)
The Rock Transformation Center is located at 2200 N. State Street. The cold-weather shelter will open at 5 p.m. and close at 8 a.m. the following day.
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 to provide cold-weather sheltering during cold nights in Flagler County.
Weather and heat safety preparedness tips from Flagler County Fire Rescue include:
- Never use the oven to heat the home
- All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
- Screen fireplaces to contain sparks
- Portable space heaters should be kept 3 feet away from anything that can burn.
- Turn off portable heaters when leaving the room or going to bed.
