As temperatures dropped Saturday night in the South Bay, residents bundled up and looked for warmer places.
Due to the cold weather, Santa Clara County opened a warming center at the California National Guard Building in San Jose.
There was an urgent plea from homeless advocate Scott Largent. He used a bull horn to let people in a San Jose encampment know an overnight center just opened up nearby and they can go there to escape near freezing temperatures.
Shaunn Cartwright with the Unhoused Response Group told NBC Bay Area that she hopes this option will save lives during the bitter cold.
“We do know last year seven people died in a one week. And five are suspected to have died from exposure,” she said.
In Campbell, people still dined outside but they wore hoods and relied on fire pits to get through a meal with temperatures in the 30s.
“I wish I was wearing my winter coat. I have one but I never get to use it . It would be nice to have now since my arms are bare,” said Redwood City resident Emily Levine.
Even though the sun was out, it still felt chilly. San Jose resident Camille Scheffer and her family headed home where they planned to grab blankets and crank up the heat.
“I have the heater running all night and the kids even have their own heaters as well,” she said.
With a freeze warning in effect overnight for Santa Clara Valley, people were scrambling to protect pipes and plants.
But the biggest concern is the unhoused who are at risk of hypothermia as the temperatures drop.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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