Area agencies prepared for weekend weather chill-down

In addition to its emergency shelter operations, the Salvation Army’s Kroc Center will be opening as a warming center. During times when cold advisories are issued for the area, the Kroc Center is available for those who need to get out of extreme cold conditions.

The hours the warming center will be available are from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. For anyone who needs other arrangements, the Salvation Army Emergency Shelter can be contacted at 217-222-8655.

The city of Quincy’s Central Services will keep a watch on the situation.

“We will be watching the weather closely and will go out when needed,” John Schafer said. Schafer is the assistant director of Central Services. “During these weather conditions, we have two trucks loaded with salt at all times and drivers on call to hit problem areas quickly when they arise.”

Central Services is also prepared to handle another common issue with cold snaps: water main breaks.

“There is really no way to plan ahead for water main breaks,” Schafer said. “We do have a crew on call at all times if one occurs at night or on the weekend.”

The Quincy Police Department said it doesn’t intend to have additional officers on duty, but will be ready to add help if there are an increased number of calls.

Deputy Chief of Administration Adam Yates said “Shift commanders have the flexibility of holding over off-going personnel or calling in oncoming personnel early if the calls for service warrant such measures.”

He added that crash reports are handled by priority, not necessarily in the order they come in. “Injury crashes and crashes obstructing traffic are handled first. Non-injury traffic crashes that are out of traffic are a lower priority. “

Yates said that it’s common to see an increase in crash reports during winter weather. He said when a crash happens but no one is injured, drivers should make sure they exchange information with one another and contact their insurance companies. If their cars are drivable, they need to move them out of traffic to avoid more problems.

“If you are involved in a crash and your vehicle is drivable, carefully and quickly remove it from the roadway before calling 911,” he said. “All too often additional crashes and injuries occur because a vehicle is unnecessarily left in the roadway for an extended period of time.”

Aside from traffic issues, the Quincy Police Department also works with local agencies like the Salvation Army to make sure the people who need help can get it.

“Quincy Police Officers are always ready and willing to help individuals seeking shelter,” Yates said. “We often see an increase in requests for assistance when the weather turns colder. Our officers will reach out to local providers to try and ensure folks have somewhere to get warm.”

“We have great local agencies that we work with day and night who specialize in providing shelter and services for those in need,” he added.