Temperatures have dropped across Anne Arundel County and are not expected to rise above freezing until Feb 1.

According to county Emergency Management Public Information Officer Kasey Thomas, the county recommends residents put together a kit in the event of a power outage during extreme cold. Include things like hats, gloves, and blankets.

“How are you going to be able to get to a safe place? Do you have someone that’s able to help you, a friend, a neighbor, a caretaker, a family member?” said Thomas. “Kind of thinking through some of those situations, when it comes to snowstorms, being snowed in, losing power, anything like that, where you might need to take action.”

For those in need of a respite from the cold, there are Warming Relief Centers — rooms set aside in county buildings like police stations, senior activity centers, and public libraries. A full list of these can be found on aacounty.org.

Those who are homeless are referred to the Crisis Warmline and will likely be connected with the Warming Center. Located in Glen Burnie, it is operated jointly by the Arundel House of Hope, a nonprofit that works with homeless people, and the county. The House of Hope day center is next door.

This overnight center is a large space that opens only when night temperatures are below freezing or feel below freezing. Arundel House of Hope Executive Director Mario Berninzoni said the center has operated every night since New Year’s Day, providing space to upwards of 30 people every night.

“The program’s fairly bare bones. We don’t provide a lot of services because we really want to keep it low barrier so people will feel comfortable coming in, and they won’t feel like they have to jump through a lot of hoops to come in,” said Berninzoni. “But we do provide, you know, a warm place with some coffee and a warm place to sleep through the night.

In the morning, those inside the warming center either leave or move to the day center, where they can get a snack or work with case managers.

House of Hope also operates a winter relief program, which runs through April. Participants stay at a different church or synagogue every night and are provided meals, cots, and entertainment. Berninzoni said around 60 area congregations are part of the program and there are 30 to 50 people in it every night.

“A lot of times the clients in the past, they would seek shelter in places that really weren’t appropriate. We’ve heard stories about people riding the bus or getting on the light rail for all night to stay, or people trying to go to a McDonald’s and trying to stay late until they close or get kicked out. So having a warming center that is designed in an emergency shelter and a day center designed for them to actually meet their needs has really been a key for us,” Berninzoni said.

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