Lake County prepares for cold weather with shelters, supplies

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Lake County said they do not want families to be caught off guard with the winter weather heading to Central Florida.

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And for those without heat or shelter, this weekend will be cold.

The church is just one of the locations that is opening its doors to provide food and shelter.

People in Lake County started to notice the temperature drop Friday afternoon.

Read: Orange County warming centers open despite staffing concerns

Lake County Emergency Management is working with local churches to open cold weather shelters for the frigid weekend.

“Cold exposure is very serious, especially since this is going to be a weekend-long cold weather event,” said Nicholas Gerth, emergency management deputy director. “We’re looking at temperatures in the lower 30s and upper 20s.”

Read: Here’s where you can find cold-weather shelters in Central Florida

Gerth said the homeless are the most vulnerable, but they know families and others without heat may be in need of a place to keep warm.

“It’s anybody that might be having issues with utilities or prolonged heating in their home if they just don’t have somewhere to go,” he said.

Read: Temperatures to drop fast tonight; see your Christmas weekend forecast

LifePointe Church in Eustis will be open overnight and the Trinity Assembly of God in Fruitland Park will be open for 24 hours.

There is a free bus service through Lake Xpress available to and from these locations.

Workers spent Friday getting supplies and cots ready for people to sleep at Lifepointe Church. They want people to feel safe, just as those who are fortunate to have a warm place for Christmas weekend.

The Salvation Army location in Leesburg will also have a warming shelter for people to stay during the day.

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