It dipped down to nearly -18 C at the Kelowna airport Monday night, just a couple of degrees off the record set in 1986 when it hit -21 C.
Randy Benson from Kelowna’s Gospel Mission said they were at near capacity Monday night because of the cold snap. The Gospel Mission can handle up to 90 people.
But there are some who decide not to seek shelter. So how do they do it?
“That’s a question I think everybody asks. Obviously, we supply them with blankets and sleeping bags if they need it. Yeah, there’s some people who are just survivors,” Benson said.
A homeless man named Simon is one of those survivors. He said sleeping outside in the bitter temperatures can be a challenge. The secret, he said, is to keep the feet warm otherwise it can be a long night.
“The cold feet keep you awake. So you walk and walk, sometimes you run. Sometimes you will see some drug addicts running at 3 a.m. and you say: ‘oh, that guy is just jogging. No, that guy is so stoned and that he needs to run to get warm’,” he said.
Steve is another survivor. He said cardboard can go a long way in keeping warm overnight.
But not all can handle the cold. The BC Ambulance Service said it has dealt with more than 35 cold exporsure reponses so far this year and 115 province-wide.
And they might be busy again Tuesday night when the mercury is expected to dip down to – 16 C in the central Okanagan.
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