Cold snap opens emergency shelters

Monday, January 04, 2010

In response to the weekend's arctic temperatures and howling winds, Hudson County opened its emergency shelter in Union City, officials said yesterday.

The Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation, at 37th St. near Palisade Avenue in Union City, is using its community room as an emergency shelter for homeless people who can't find a bed at a Hudson County shelter, officials said.

Yesterday, buses operated by United Way of Hudson County picked up homeless people who couldn't find beds at the Hoboken Shelter at 300 Bloomfield St. and St. Lucys Shelter, at 619 Grove St. in Jersey City, to take them to the PERC facility, officials said. Temperatures struggled to make it into the early-20s and with the wind chill factor, they felt about 15 degrees colder.

The emergency shelter opens when the Hudson County Office of Emergency Management announces a "cold alert," meaning temperatures are 24 degrees or below.

CHARLES HACK