PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- With nearly 400 people that stayed at severe weather shelters Wednesday night, Multnomah County is attempting to open another shelter for Thursday evening.
Reynolds High School put out an announcement Thursday afternoon saying they’re partnering with Multnomah County and opening their gym to use as a shelter. However, the county told KOIN 6 News said the announcement was a little premature and that the plan is not official because the county is still looking for people that would staff the shelter.
However, county officials also said if they don’t have the staff to open another shelter Thursday, there will be capacity at the Oregon Convention Center, which was one of the four warming centers that opened Wednesday. One location will be at the Sunrise Center in Gresham. The other two warming shelters are located at Arbor Lodge and Portsmouth Union on North Lombard St.
David Cooper huddles up with gloves, hand warmers and layers of blankets in an attempt to stay warm while living on the street as temperatures with wind chill hovered in the single digits in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. The frigid temperatures and an impending storm expected to bring freezing rain, ice and snow to the Pacific Northwest have prompted authorities to open additional shelter space for homeless people. (AP Photo/Claire Rush)
A homeless man who spent the night outside in temperatures that dipped into the single digits attempts to find shelter from the frigid cold on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)
Haley Zilka, a program specialist with Multnomah County's emergency management program, hauls supplies on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, from a warehouse to a waiting truck as officials work to set up emergency cold weather shelters around Portland, Ore. Parts of the Pacific Northwest are experiencing frigid temperatures, with potentially dangerous winter weather conditions expected to grip the region for the rest of the week. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)
Plans for the activation of emergency severe weather shelters sit in bins at a warehouse in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, as officials open four such shelters in advance of an unusually cold weather system and ice storm. Parts of the Pacific Northwest are experiencing frigid temperatures, with potentially dangerous winter weather conditions expected to grip the region for the rest of the week. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)
Multnomah County outreach teams say they were out all Wednesday night checking in with homeless folks to let them know about the warming centers. If you need a ride to a shelter or know or see someone who does, call 211 and the county will arrange a ride. TriMet is giving free rides to warming centers.
