By HENRY FREDERICK
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla -- While much of the Southeastern US saw a winter blast with upwards of 8 inches of snow and 21 inch of sleet in the last 24 hours, Florida escaped the white stuff, but not the rain. Now there's a more deadly element for Daytona Beach's homeless overnight: Bone-chilling temps near freezing.
And though the rain in Central Florida is gone, it has replaced by cold temperatures. It's really cold out there tonight in Orlando with temperatures just after 8 p.m. around 40 degrees. It's bone-chilling cold and overnight it is going to get worse: With gusting winds, the wind chill will be 33.
As reported by the Associated press, snow, sleet and freezing rain pelted a wide swath of the South early Saturday, turning roads icy and impassable in spots amid reports of car crashes as many braced for up to a foot of snow in parts of the Carolinas and Virginia. States of emergency were declared for 79 counties in Georgia and all of Alabama. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson shut state offices for non-essential personnel on Friday as the snow began piling up.
Here in Central Florida, it's dry on this Friday evening, but bone-chilling cold outside. Sunday's high will reach the mid-50s, and overnight lows early Monday will be in the upper 30s. But it's overnight tonight that is a major issue, especially for the homeless.
Catholic Homeless Outreach: Daytona Beach posted the following comment on its Facebook page this afternoon: It's going to drop into the 30s tonight. We are hitting the streets with hats, gloves, handwarmers, socks, and a lot of love for homeless friends today.
With two-plus years of intense politics and lots of talk, and not enough beds to go around, the cold hard reality is homeless people in and around Daytona will be exposed to bone-chilling temperatures in the high 30s, but with gusting winds, the wind chill will make it feel like 33 degrees out there, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. Perhaps the most potent comment among public figutres or politicians in social media on the issue was Tom Laputka, former mayor of Orange City and a candidayte for county chair last year, who said, "Tonight's temperature will be 34 degrees. In Volusia County there are many Homeless and in need of shelter! As compassionate citizens we must strongly consider our responsibility to our fellow man!"
In contrast to the constant bickering and passing buck between miuncipal and county govrernments, it was the good sense of three community leaders -- ICI Homes executive Forough Hosseini, Halifax Urban Ministries Executive Director Mark Geallis and Volusia County Managr Jim Dinneen who fought tooth and nail for the conversion of a the closed Hurst Elementary School to be be purchased by the county and converted iunto a facility for homeless families and unaccompanied teens still in school. It was passed unanimously by the County Council last year. But there is little chance a plan for the chronic homeless will be passed any time soon -- at least not the duration of January or February, the coldsest months of the year, even as yet another pln is being floated in its early stages: There are no concrete time frames.
With two-plus years of intense politics and lots of talk, and not enough beds to go around, the cold hard reality is homeless people in and around Daytona will be exposed to bone-chilling temperatures in the high 30s, but with gusting winds, the wind chill will make it feel like 33 degrees out there, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. Perhaps the most potent comment among public figutres or politicians in social media on the issue was Tom Laputka, former mayor of Orange City and a candidayte for county chair last year, who said, "Tonight's temperature will be 34 degrees. In Volusia County there are many Homeless and in need of shelter! As compassionate citizens we must strongly consider our responsibility to our fellow man!"
In contrast to the constant bickering and passing buck between miuncipal and county govrernments, it was the good sense of three community leaders -- ICI Homes executive Forough Hosseini, Halifax Urban Ministries Executive Director Mark Geallis and Volusia County Managr Jim Dinneen who fought tooth and nail for the conversion of a the closed Hurst Elementary School to be be purchased by the county and converted iunto a facility for homeless families and unaccompanied teens still in school. It was passed unanimously by the County Council last year. But there is little chance a plan for the chronic homeless will be passed any time soon -- at least not the duration of January or February, the coldsest months of the year, even as yet another pln is being floated in its early stages: There are no concrete time frames.
Here is the latest forecast from the National Weather Service in Melbourne for greater Daytona Beach-Sanford-Orlando:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Wind chill values as low as 33. Windy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Wind chill values as low as 31 early. Windy, with a north wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph. Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. North northeast wind around 10 mph becoming east southeast after midnight.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. East southeast wind around 10 mph. Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light south after midnight.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Southeast wind around 5 mph.