Durham officials urge residents to use emergency shelters and report heating failures during cold spell

City officials on Jan. 9 urged Durham residents to seek emergency shelter and to report heating failures after staff warned of an approaching cold weather event expected to begin Friday evening.

Councilors and staff said the city’s emergency coordination page is updated with closures, cancellations and information about trash pickup, and that the Department of Communication will increase staffing Friday and Saturday to handle inquiries. The city advised residents that if they are tenants and their heating fails, landlords should make repairs within 24 hours and tenants may report problems to the Department of Neighborhood Improvement Services (as described in council comments).

Staff identified Entry Point as the intake/coordination line for additional shelter openings during the cold spell and gave a telephone number for people seeking shelter: 984‑287‑8313. Officials said one listed shelter location is East Baptist Church and that shelters will operate on a first‑come, first‑served basis.

Why it matters: the city warned that the forecasted storm could bring one to two inches of snow and the potential for freezing rain and ice over the weekend, with falling branches and outages possible. Staff said public safety and utility partners are coordinating and that the police and communications departments will add personnel for the period.

Next steps: staff said they would provide another update later in the day and that departments have pre‑applied salt and sand to key facilities. The public was told to call 911 for fallen trees that create an immediate hazard; for nonemergency reports, staff directed residents to the city’s public works reporting channels and the listed numbers and webpages.