- January 11, 2025
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The Sheltering Tree will open a cold-weather shelter Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights — Dec. 23 to 25 — at the Church on the Rock not only for the homeless, but for anyone who is without heat. Flagler County officials urge residents to take advantage of this option if the alternative is using a heating method that could pose a fire hazard, even if it means leaving home for the holiday.
“Please remember the five Ps – protect People, Pets, Plants, Pipes, and Practice fire prevention,” Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord said. “Lows over the three nights are expected to be mid- to upper 20s inland, and upper 20s to low 30s at the beach. Wind chill numbers will be a brutal 15 to 17 degrees.”
Fire prevention is always an important topic over the holidays as lit candles and “live” trees can create fire hazards, but it is especially critical when temperatures plummet.
“Space heaters need space – at least three feet – away from anything that can burn,” Flagler County Fire Marshal Jerry Smith said. “This space should also be a kid-free zone.”
Other home-heating safety tips include:
“We also ask that you ‘close’ the bedroom door ‘before you doze,’” Smith said. “It will help to keep heat in the room and if fire breaks out, it buys you time to get out of the house. A fire needs oxygen to burn. A closed door keeps more oxygen in the room and away from the fire.”
The criteria for opening the cold-weather shelter is based on an overnight temperature that dips below 40 degrees.
“The shelter may open on Dec. 26 depending on the forecast,” Health and Human Services Director Joseph Hegedus said. “It’s a little too early to predict at this point if we will still be stuck in this arctic weather.”
Church on the Rock is located at 2200 N. State St. The cold-weather shelter will open at 5:30 p.m. each evening and will close at 8 a.m. the following day.
Transportation is available for those who need it through Flagler County. There are two routes that follow the schedules below – both will arrive at Church on the Rocks at 5 p.m.:
The Sheltering Tree, 386-437-3258, is under the umbrella of the Flagler County Family Assistance Center and is a non-denominational civic organization that was created in 2011 to provide cold-weather sheltering during cold nights in Flagler County.
