In an effort to help Gainesville residents prepare themselves for the recent sub-freezing temperatures, local organizations are providing tips and resources to confront the harrowing weather.
Gainesville Regional Utilities issued a list of cold-weather tips to keep homes safe and energy efficient.
To prevent frozen water pipes, residents are advised to keep water continuously flowing and to cover exposed pipes, according to a news release.
GRU also advised homeowners to purchase carbon monoxide detectors and to look out for that “rotten egg” smell, which usually signals a gas leak. If there are signs of irregular gas levels, residents should leave the house and call 911, according to the release.
To cut down on utility costs, residents are encouraged to keep their thermostats at 68 degrees. If kept above the recommended temperature, homeowners could see a hike in their next utility bills by a few percentage points per degree.
Instead, residents should layer up with blankets and extra clothing, said GRU conservation specialist Amy Carpus.
“You don’t want to keep pushing that thermostat up and get a higher bill when you could’ve just thrown on an extra sweater,” Carpus said.
She also added that space heaters should be used briefly to warm a room up rather than relied on as the primary source of heat.
“It uses a lot of electricity,” she said, “and anything that could be flammable anywhere near it could be a risk.”
Local apartment complexes are sending out similar warnings to residents. University Club Apartments encouraged tenants to keep water dripping and to purchase insurance to cover any possible damage. Canopy Apartments informed its residents not to be alarmed by the smell of burning dust, which results from increased use of the heater.
Elsewhere in Gainesville, organizations are working to make sure Gainesville’s homeless population stays warm. The St. Francis House and the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry implemented its Cold Night Shelter program Monday night.
The program, which is activated when night temperatures are lower than 45 degrees, provides shelter and food for those in need as well as motel vouchers for additional space.
From October 2012 to March 2013, about 2,200 people took advantage of the program, said John Wachtel, Gainesville’s neighborhood improvement coordinator. Wachtel is expecting many people to take advantage of the program this week with the recent below-freezing temperatures.
“The colder the nights, the more people that come in,” he said.
Those interested should visit the St. Francis House, Wachtel said.
“They’ll make sure you get taken care of,” he said.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 1/7/2014 under the headline "City prepares for below-freezing cold"
To prevent kale greens from freezing, 27-year-old resident Travis Mitchell coordinates an emergency harvest before the bitter cold front hits Gainesville. Ana Fajardo, a 20-year-old UF public relations student, volunteers to help.
