Voluntary shelter operators say county emergency planning left gaps during Jan. 4–5 winter storm

Speakers at the Riley County Commission meeting on Jan. 13 urged county officials to create a formal, government-led plan for daytime emergency sheltering after volunteer groups stepped in during a historic winter storm on Jan. 4–6.

Jeremy Harmon, identified in his public comment as the director of community relations for the Center of Hope and Ministry, described attempts to contact daytime shelter providers on Jan. 3 after agencies and facilities began closing early. "We were able to open the shelter at 3 PM," Harmon said, but he said the volunteer-led opening left a roughly one-hour gap when many people seeking shelter were unaware it was available. Harmon told commissioners the shelter averaged about 17 guests per night after Jan. 4 and that "last night, we had 22 with one being a child."

Kayla Simmons Wood, pastor at First Congregational United Church of Christ, said the church hosted the volunteer warming shelter and urged commissioners to take a greater role in coordinating emergency shelter during inclement weather. "I believe that organizing and coordinating safe shelter for citizens during an extreme weather event is a responsibility of our local government," she said, adding that relying solely on volunteers places uncompensated residents at risk.

Both speakers described operational limits faced by volunteer groups: limited daytime capacity, reliance on borrowed space, and volunteers who travel in hazardous conditions to staff shelters. Harmon said the Center of Hope and Ministry is all-volunteer, uses borrowed space and normally operates overnight; the group scrambled to open at mid‑afternoon when other sites closed. Simmons Wood emphasized liability concerns raised in conversation but noted she believes the county has authority and responsibility for emergency preparedness and that "liability risks are very minimal" compared with the risk of leaving people without shelter.

Commissioners responded in the discussion portion of the meeting by acknowledging gaps in coordination and saying the county "can do a lot better" with advance planning, though no formal directive or vote on creating a county‑run daytime shelter was recorded at the Jan. 13 meeting.

The public comments asked the commission to pursue formal partnerships or staffed emergency management for future storms so that volunteer organizations are not the sole providers of life‑safety sheltering during severe weather.