Several North Olympic Peninsula agencies offer warm places to go during cold weather.
Here is a list.
CLALLAM COUNTY
Port Angeles
• Serenity House’s adult shelter at 2321 W. 18th is open 24/7 with cots, meals showers and laundry services.
Each client is tested for COVID-19; those who are infected are placed in a separate room.
Those who need a ride to the shelter can be picked up in vans that collect people at The Gateway transit center at the corner of Front and Lincoln streets daily at 9 a.m. to 9:10 a.m., 2:50 p.m. to 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 6:10 p.m., said Michele Lefebvre, shelter director.
“During a blue flag, we do our best to accommodate getting people out of the cold,” Lefebvre said.
“We don’t want to see anyone get hypothermia.”
People can always call the shelter for assistance, she said. The number is shelter at 360-417-0822.
• St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 510 E. Park Ave., is offering safe parking space in its west parking lot to the unhoused who are living in their vehicles.
There are no facilities for those on foot; the building is not being opened because of the pandemic, said Deacon Keith Dorwick. No heat is provided, the thinking being that people in vehicles can run them for warmth.
Hot water is available, as well as instant coffee, cocoa and soup to mix into it, Dorwick said. Snacks are offered — none gluten-free, he said — and a 25-pound bag of dog food is on hand for those with pet dogs. Power strips for charging phones and a portable toilet are on site.
The church’s Pop-Up Warming Center is planned to be offered until sunset Jan. 4, according to the church website.
Volunteers are welcome, Dorwick said. The 100-cup urn the church was planning to use for hot water broke and Dorwick could not find a replacement, he said Friday. The church is now using a 14-cup urn and he said he could use some help in keeping it filled. Also welcome are supplies of food that can stand being out in freezing weather and donations of clothing.
To contact Dorwick, call 337 735-4135 or email kdorwick@gmail.com.
• The City of Port Angeles will host an overnight warming center at the Port Angeles Senior Center at Seventh and Peabody streets beginning Monday, Cameron said. Hours will be from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Sequim
• Olympic Community Action Programs is hosting an overnight warming center from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 525 N. Fifth Ave.
It is open from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. through New Year’s Eve.
Forks
• American Legion Post is standing by but no plans had been made as of Saturday, according to Ron Cameron, city attorney and planner.
Clallam Bay
• Clallam Bay Fire District 5, 60 Eagle Crest Way, will be open periodically from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. depending upon volunteer availability, Cameron said.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Port Townsend
• The Winter Welcoming Center in the Pope Marine Building, on the dock at Water and Madison streets in downtown Port Townsend, is open 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily. Hot beverages, snacks, hygiene supplies and warm clothing await at the center along with public computers, bathrooms and electricity for charging devices.
This Thursday, Friday and Saturday as First Night festivities are set up at the Pope Marine Plaza, the Winter Welcoming Center will move temporarily to First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Franklin St. in Uptown Port Townsend.
• The Jefferson County Emergency Shelter offers overnight shelter from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. in the lower level of the American Legion hall, 209 Monroe St., and will temporarily have as warming center open from noon to 4 p.m. through Saturday.
• The Cotton Building, 607 Water St., Port Townsend, is open as a warming center from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. daily.
Port Hadlock
• The Jefferson County Jail lobby, 81 Elkins Road in Port Hadlock, is another place to get out of the cold, the Emergency Management press release noted.
Brinnon
• The Brinnon Community Center office, 306144 U.S. Highway 101, will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Tuesday through Thursday.
Libraries
Public libraries in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Clallam Bay are open Monday through Friday, with hours changing daily.
Today — Wednesday — hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Port Angeles, Forks and Clallam Bay libraries and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sequim Library.
See the North Olympic Library System website at nols.org or call a specific library for daily updates.
Jefferson County’s two public libraries also provide refuge.
The Port Townsend Library, 1220 Lawrence St., is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
In Port Hadlock at 620 Cedar Ave., the Jefferson County Library is open Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here are other places for the unsheltered as of Saturday.
The Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management also listed ways to be prepared for snow and bitter cold conditions:
• Make sure your vehicle is equipped for the unexpected;
• Keep a bag of salt or sand in your trunk to melt ice;
• Store numbers in your phone for towing services and roadside assistance that may be available with your car insurance;
• Consider keeping a well-stocked emergency kit in your car;
• Stock up on food at home so you don’t have to drive on icy roads to the store;
• Keep extra batteries for your flashlight and portable radio;
• Use battery-operated lighting rather than a kerosene lantern inside your house;
• If you don’t have to go out, stay home.
• Stay informed about the latest weather conditions at https://www.weather.gov.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
