Power Outages Forcing Some To the Charlottesville Red Cross Shelter

Updated: 11:13 PM Feb 6, 2010

With so many people facing power outages in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, the Red Cross Emergency Shelter at Monticello High School in Charlottesville is seeing a surge in people needing a warm place to stay and food to eat.

Posted: 8:59 PM Feb 6, 2010
Reporter: Bianca Spinosa
Email Address: bianca.spinosa@newsplex.com

width:320 and height: 240 and picwidth: 213 and pciheight: 159

Font Size:

February 6, 2010

There wasn't much traffic going through the doors of the emergency shelter until sundown Saturday.

For some families stranded without power, especially those with young children, staying at home in the cold and the dark isn't an option.

"It's too much," says James.

The boy's family arrived at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Red Cross shelter at around 6:00 pm Saturday. They live in Charlottesville and lost power in the morning. Once it got dark, however, they couldn't take it anymore and James was getting too cold to stay at home.

"They think that the power will come on very quickly, so they want to stay home as long as possible," says Beverly Bean, the Red Cross director. She was at the shelter Friday and Saturday, and will be staying there through Sunday.

There are fewer people at the shelter compared to the December blizzard. There aren't any stranded drivers at the shelter. They're there because they lost power. When Rachel Overby lost power while staying at a Charlottesville hotel, she called the shelter to pick her up. If people can't get a ride into the shelter, Red Cross volunteers will get them.

"I didn't want to take a chance [of the power] going out, so they came and got me at about ten this morning. I've been here since ten thirty [AM]," says Overby.

At Monticello High School there's free hot meals, television, and a warm place to sleep.

"It's starting to get dark. It's starting to get colder, and people are wanting a warm place to spend the night," says Bean.

These shelters are open 24/7 through Sunday and potentially Monday, so if you need a warm place to spend the night, even if you make up your mind at 3:00 AM, call the Charlottesville-Albemarle Red Cross shelter at 434-244-3100 EXTENSION 3260.

Click here to post a comment.