Schools to close for second day, shelters fill as arctic air hovers in Mich., Metro Detroit

Michigan health officials are urging residents to be cautious, seek shelter and limit time outdoors as arctic air continues to envelop the state, sparking health concerns, halting activities and closing schools for a second day.

Multiple school districts across Metro Detroit canceled classes for Wednesday as temperatures hovered in the single digits. Officials at at least one local health system said they're seeing an uptick in frostbite and weather-related cases. One doctor urged residents to check in on elderly friends, neighbors and relatives as temperatures continue to plunge.

"Even if they have heat, if an elderly person falls and is unable to get help immediately, lying on a cold floor can cause a lowering of body temperature and hypothermia," said Dr. Marcus Moore, chief of emergency medicine at DMC Receiving Hospital, in an email.

Southeast Michigan is under a wind chill advisory until noon Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service Detroit.

Wind chills as low as minus 20 degrees could span from Monroe through Detroit up to Saginaw and Bad Axe in Michigan's Thumb region, according to the weather service. Cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.

The frigid weather prompted Detroit officials on Tuesday to issue a "Code Blue," waiving regular intake protocols at emergency shelters and ordering them to offer space to anyone who needs it.

At Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, two of their locations are doubling as warming centers during Code Blue. The group's Genesis House is serving more than 20 women and children, and its men's warming shelter at its main campus on Tuesday was over capacity with 120 spaces filled.

"We don’t turn anyone away in this condition," said Chiara Clayton, a staff member of the DRMM. "We’ll make room. Not everyone will have a bed, but they will be warm.”

The region was expected to have around an inch of accumulated snow showers through Tuesday with wind and highs up to 15 degrees, according to the weather service.

Residents should limit outdoor exposure to avoid high risks of hypothermia and frostbite, NWS Detroit said.

Michigan is not being left out in the cold alone. Much of the United States is shivering. About 150 million Americans were under a windchill warning or advisory this week for dangerous cold and wind, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, as the arctic air mass spilled south and eastward across the U.S.

Weather-related injuries on rise

Doctors at Michigan Medicine's emergency department have seen nearly a dozen frostbite cases ranging in severity most recently, Dr. Brad Uren, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, told The Detroit News.

The injury damages deeper tissue with cold exposure, causing a person to feel pins and needles or lose feeling entirely in the exposed part of their body until heat triggers more pain, Uren said.

The emergency department has also seen an influx of cases related to car accidents, in which people became trapped in their cars or were not equipped to wait for help in the cold, the UM doctor said.

People using alcohol or other substances are also at risk of becoming impaired outdoors and developing frostbite or hypothermia, he added.

"From a clothing standpoint, this is what my mom told me and what everyone's mom tells them: Dress warmly, cover up," Uren said. "It's the exposed skin that's at risk for frostbite."

Corewell Health, Michigan's largest hospital system, also has seen rising numbers of patients with frostbite, hypothermia and other weather-related conditions.

“Just had a patient with frostbite of heels and toes this morning," Dr. Jim Getziger, an emergency center physician at the Royal Oak Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, said in a Tuesday email. "Homeless populations are at the greatest risk."

Icy conditions halt travel, activities

The arctic air shut down dozens of schools Tuesday as officials cautioned against going outdoors. Several districts, including Royal Oak, Southfield, West Bloomfield and Walled Lake, again canceled classes for Wednesday.

"Your safety and well-being are our top priorities, and this decision has been made in consideration of the forecasted temperature and our building conditions to ensure the safety of our students and staff," Southfield Public Schools said in a message on its website posted Tuesday afternoon.

The cold also triggered flooding at Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County’s office headquarters in Ann Arbor, the organization said in an email.

The flooding caused extensive damage to the building on State Street, though no injuries were reported, according to JFS.

"We are shocked and saddened by the extent of damage to our JFS home and the equipment, in-kind donations, furnishings and more within," the JFS email stated. “The mitigation and rebuilding will be extensive.”

The organization said it would continue remote services on Tuesday and offer limited pantry and food delivery services. Transportation services were set to continue as scheduled.

AAA also issued an arctic air advisory across Michigan on Tuesday, advising drivers to check their car battery, windshield fluid, engine coolant and keep at least half a tank of gas to avoid freezing.

Drivers should also cover their cars with a tarp or garage, place a plastic bag between the door and frame to prevent freezing and hold back on car washes until temperatures warm past freezing, according to AAA.

More:New York City, Philadelphia finally get notable snow while other parts of the US get a deep shiver

Detroit issues 'Code Blue'

On Saturday, the city of Detroit initiated a “Code Blue,” meaning anyone in need of a shelter bed can walk into an emergency shelter or warming center without undergoing a complete intake form or assessment for the night. It includes two meals per day and showers, if the shelter can accommodate them.

In effect until further notice, the Code Blue lifts restrictions on capacity and requires shelters or agencies to make space for anyone who arrives in need of warmth in less than 30-degree weather, according to the city's housing department.

If a shelter does not have space, the agency must let the citizen remain at the shelter, use any air mattresses, extra cots, arrange overnight accommodations or seek another shelter with transportation.

There are four overnight emergency shelters in Detroit: Cass Community Social Services, serving families and women; Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries with its two locations; and Joseph Walker Williams Recreation Center serving men, women and families.

There are 11 recreational centers serving as warming centers, and 15 library branches only open during operating hours. See a full list here.

The city added 334 warming center beds since Nov. 1 to accommodate the growing need, said David Bowser, chief of housing solutions and support services at Detroit's Housing and Revitalization Department. There are 835 shelter beds in the city, and they are constantly filled, he said.

The city converted the Joseph Walker Williams Recreation Center into a 24/7 shelter, with the American Red Cross placing 100 cots, he said. The health department is administering COVID testing, while Happy's Pizza and Olympia Development have donated food, he said.

"We could not lean on our existing system to handle the influx," Bowser said. "We’ve set up a one-stop-shop with wrap-around services and as of (Tuesday) morning, 93 individuals are at the site that were dropped off by Detroit police coming from the hospital system and bringing individuals from the Rosa Parks Transit Center."

At Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, people sat in one of the warming shelters Tuesday, surrounded by blankets. Two of their locations double as warming centers during Code Blue.

“We have walk-ins even when it’s not super cold and reached capacity over the weekend before the storm hit,” said Clayton, a staff member of the DRMM. “We open our warming centers every year in the beginning of November through March 31. Unfortunately, the amount of warming center room was cut this year due to the availability of funding. We are entirely grant- and donation-funded."

Typically, anyone in need of housing should call Detroit’s Housing Services Helpline at (866) 313-2520 and veterans should call (866) 313-2520. They would go through an assessment and a worker will issue a referral based on shelter availability, but during a Code Blue, people can walk in without a referral.

“We always need the bare necessities: blankets, socks, beddings in twin size, gloves, coats, hats, scarves and daily toiletry items. People can always donate,” Clayton said.

As of Tuesday morning, the recreation and warming centers were not busy because not many individuals are without power, city officials said.

Fosters needed for animals

Officials also warned pet owners to take precautions during the arctic blast. Detroit Animal Control reminded pet owners that temperatures below freezing and wind chill can be dangerous, even deadly, for domesticated pets.

DAC is urging pet owners to bring in their pets. However, if people leave their pets outdoors for any length of time, they are required by Michigan state law to provide them with adequate food, water and shelter.

Meanwhile, Kristina Millman-Rinaldi of the Detroit Dog Rescue said their volunteers are on the move and the shelter is just about at capacity.

"We are begging the public for fosters so we can bring more dogs in," she said.

Warmer days ahead

Metro Detroit will get more wind chills as low as minus 20, but temperatures should rise starting Wednesday, NWS meteorologist Cory Behnke said.

Temperatures in Metro Detroit are forecast to remain in the high teens Wednesday, then rise to the lower 20s by Thursday and Friday, he said.

Conditions will waver in the teens on Saturday, then push up to the low 20s by Sunday. Monday and Tuesday will be the final break as temperatures resurface into the 30s, he said.

"The average temperature this time of year is around 32 degrees, so we'll be getting to near normal next Monday and Tuesday," Behnke said.

amunoz@detroitnews.com

Associated Press contributed.