Killeen Mayor Debbie Nash-King has asked that the city’s policy on warming centers is included on a meeting agenda.
It is part of a City Council workshop scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 101 N. College St.
“I am requesting OHSEM Director Peter Perez … give an overview on the procedures to opening a warming center,” she said.
OHSEM is the Killeen Office of Homeland Security Emergency Management.
The request comes after decisions to open — or not open — at least one warming center in Killeen between Nov. 14 and Nov. 18 were made based on National Weather Service forecasts of temperatures nearing or dropping below freezing.
On one occasion — Nov. 12 — city officials did not open a warming center even though the nighttime low was 28 degrees and the National Weather Service in Fort Worth had issued a freeze warning for half of the coverage area, including all of Bell County, with the low forecast at 31.
About the same time, city spokeswoman Janell Ford told the Herald that the city was “not” opening a warming center “as forecasted/actual temperatures do not fall below 32, according to the National Weather Service.”
On the Herald’s Facebook page, the decision not to open a warming center in Killeen drew criticism from readers.
“Your council members are all sleeping in their warm beds, not answering emails or phones,” Judy Gunn said. “The warming centers were not opened. How do the leaders of Killeen sleep at night?”
Another commenter, Phyllis Jones, said “the mayor had the choice on the warming centers.”
Two days later, on Nov. 14, the Herald asked Ford to explain the city’s policy on when warming centers are opened and to identify who makes that decision.
“Our Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management vigilantly monitors the weather and makes recommendations to City leadership and staff,” she said. “Emergency conditions are defined by freezing temperatures. The NWS defines freezing conditions by being less than 32 degrees. This is temperature or windchill.”
Ford said the city uses other factors in determining if a warming center should be opened, including if freezing temperatures are expected to occur for a limited period, and freezing precipitation, such as snow.
On the same day, the Killeen Housing Authority and the city opened the Moss Rose Center on East Avenue E “to provide an increased services warming center for those in need.”
According to the city, warming centers are set up to offer “temporary relief” from the cold. And while meals are provided, the centers do not offer “full sheltering services, as no beds or bedding material is provided.”
According to city documents, City Manager Kent Cagle and Perez decide whether a warming center will be opened. That policy became effective on Jan. 31, 2020. It provides that Cagle or his “designee” may:
Declare an emergency warming center open when the National Weather Service forecasts a temperature or wind chill below (32 degrees) with or without precipitation, or when recommended by staff.
Close an emergency warming center if the temperature or wind chill reaches (32) or more for a sustained period, or when recommended by staff.
Extend the hours of an emergency warming center based upon the National Weather Service forecast and/or staff recommendation.
The policy also differentiates warming centers and emergency shelters. The purpose of the latter is precisely as the name suggests. That of the former is to provide shelter, including sleeping areas, during “large-scale” emergencies and disasters.
The primary facility for a warming center is the Rosa Hereford Killeen Community Center, at 2201 E. Veterans Memorial Blvd.
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