WINNIPEG – Saturday’s blizzard conditions have come and gone, but the frigid temperatures are here to stay.
For most Winnipeggers, the cold is little more than a nuisance, but for the city’s homeless population, it’s much more serious.
On Sunday, the temperature dipped down to -32 C, and the mercury isn’t expected to creep up until the end of next week.
The Downtown Watch is out on the streets ensuring the safety of the vulnerable.
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“They’re much more vulnerable in the cold. We keep an eye out for them and make sure they’re okay,” said Christine Mazerolle.
On Saturday night, the Siloam Mission’s 110 beds were all occupied. Floyd Perras, executive director of Siloam Mission, said in the winter months, they are busy at all times.
With such low temperatures, exposed skin can freeze in as little as 10 minutes. The mission is still looking for donations of mittens, gloves, scarves and toques to help the homeless fight the cold.
It doesn’t take long for the weather to become deadly. Earlier this month, a 55-year-old homeless man was found dead in the downtown core. Temperatures that night only dipped to -15 C.
So far this December, only a handful of days have been above seasonal, and it looks as though 2013 is going to end the same way it started – brutally cold.
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