GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Ahead of an arctic blast which starts Thursday that will send temperatures in and around Atlanta plummeting, those in the community are preparing for temperatures that haven't been felt in the city in nearly five years.
One community member, Regina Miller, is preparing. Miller, who is the deputy director for community services in Gwinnett County, is spearheading efforts to transform community centers into warming centers by the time the deep freeze arrives.
"With this arctic freeze, we’ve prepared with plenty of staff assistance, volunteers and others in our Gwinnett County government offices to be able to prepare for this," Miller said. "Mother Nature always has a different plan, but we know that we are planned even further than her.”
The Gwinnett Lawrenceville Senior Center, along with four other places around the county, will transform into warming centers. Miller said each center will be able to house 50 people, and staff and volunteers are setting up cots and setting out food and water for visitors.
"At the end of the day, it's just a place people can come to get warm and be able to stay out of the elements that we know are going to hit Atlanta hard this week," Miller said. "It’s an organized operation, but one that has a lot of compassion and a lot of heart.”
The operation is federally funded with nearly $900,000 as part of the American Rescue Plan, Miller stated. She added that no one has to be experiencing homelessness to take advantage of the warming centers.
“We’ve seen many individuals who maybe don’t have heat right now," Miller said. "If the heat goes out at your home, you’re certainly welcome to use our warming stations as well. These stations are actually open for anyone in the public, whether you are coming to get out of the cold because you don’t have anywhere to go. We’ve also seen families.”
Cobb County is partnering with MUST Ministries to open its warming center on Bells Ferry Road. Keo Buford, the senior director of emergency housing at MUST Ministries, said the center was only available for those experiencing homelessness. The center has been packed with visitors for weeks, Buford said, due to colder weather since November.
"We're prepared to open the remainder of this month," Buford said. "Not only are we providing a place to stay overnight and a meal, but we're providing actual services to get them back, because at the end of the day, no one wants to be out on the streets – especially in inclement weather."
Back in Gwinnett, Miller reflects on her mission and what the holiday season is all about.
“To know we’re making such a great impact in our community and helping those who just need that simple safety, ability to get warm, we’re solving that in five locations in such a really special way," Miller said.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency due to the bitter cold temperatures. View a county-by-county breakdown of warming shelters open throughout Metro Atlanta here.