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Houston County opens warming stations, urges caution as cold follows storms
Summary
Houston County officials told the Jan. 26 commission meeting that cold — not precipitation — is the primary near‑term hazard after recent storms and that warming stations at First Baptist Family Life Center and Cottonwood Community Church will operate nightly through at least Thursday, with possible extension.
At the Jan. 26 Houston County Commission meeting, county staff said the primary near‑term threat following recent severe weather is cold and announced two county-established warming stations and ongoing road‑clearance efforts.
The county’s MA director said warming centers were set up at the First Baptist Family Life Center (behind First Baptist on Alice Street) and at Cottonwood Community Church in downtown Cottonwood. “It’s gonna go all the way to Thursday morning and possibly extended into the weekend,” the MA director said, describing nightly operations from about 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and noting the schedule could be extended depending on conditions. The director summarized the near‑term forecast as “just cold weather” with expected morning windchills around 15–17 degrees.
The director said activation follows a consistent criterion: a freeze (32°F) for two hours or more, or comparable sustained wind‑chill conditions. Officials urged residents to monitor updates and use the warming stations when needed.
County Engineer reported storm impacts in the same briefing: crews removed roughly a dozen downed trees, reopened affected roads and are evaluating damage, including pipe issues on several county roads. The engineer identified local routes affected and said cleanup work and damage assessments are ongoing.
Commissioners thanked staff for the response briefing and moved on to the regular agenda. The meeting record does not list a public‑facing phone number or centralized webpage for warming station updates; residents were advised to follow county communications for extensions of the schedule.
The commission’s next procedural action was to consider other agenda items; the meeting adjourned after brief remaining reports.
