Red Cross shifting emergency shelter operations to BOS Center

As the city of Springfield closes in on the one-week mark of storms toppling power lines and trees and damaging structures, help has cropped up around the area.

Here are ways agencies, businesses and churches are assisting:

Red Cross moves emergency shelter to BOS Center

The American Red Cross has moved its emergency shelter from the Springfield branch of the NAACP to the lower level of the Bank of Springfield (BOS) Center at Ninth and Adams streets Tuesday afternoon.

There people can get a hot meal, charge their phones or other electronic devices and spend the night within the air-conditioned confines of the city's main convention center, Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher said a press conference Monday.

"I was out on Saturday knocking on doors of customers without power," Buscher said. "They told me that they wanted to have a place to go to charge their phones (and) maybe get a bite to eat. Those people want to sleep in their homes overnight, so the idea of the BOS Center opening their doors is that citizens have a place to go and feel safe."

Teresa Haley, the president of the Springfield branch of the NAACP and its state director, said Monday she couldn't say exactly how many families and individuals had stayed at the facility because of privacy laws. People were utilizing it, she said.

"A few people have come from surrounding communities as well," said Haley, who has been a volunteer for the Red Cross for over 30 years.

The shelter will remain open around the clock with 24-hour police security on the premises. The service will remain available as long as necessary for the community.

Seating, tables and cots with established separate areas for men, women and families will be available. Refrigeration for medication is also available at the facility.

Disaster Mental Health professionals and general health care staff are also available for those in need.

Warm food service began Wednesday with box lunch service at noon and dinner service at 5 p.m.

Any restaurants that would like to donate food to citizens using the BOS Center can email haley.wilson@springfield.il.us.

Cooling centers

With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees both Tuesday and Wednesday, here is a list of cooling centers around Springfield. For further information, call the Office of Community Relations at 217-789-2270.

• Municipal Center East, 800 E. Monroe St., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

• Municipal Center West, 300 S. Seventh St. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri

• Lincoln Library, 326 S. Seventh St., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mon.-Wed.; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs.-Sat.

• Office of Community Relations, 1450 Groth St., 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

• St. John’s Breadline, 430 N. Fifth St., 8 to 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri. (indoor dining); 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays

• Salvation Army (Main Campus), 1600 Clear Lake Ave., entrance on south side, off of Martin Luther King Drive, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

• Salvation Army Overflow Shelter, 221 N. 11th St., Overnight Shelter 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., 7 days a week; Day Center (88 degrees or higher), 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Mon.-Thurs.; Sat.-Sun. hours subject to staff and heat index.

• Washington Street Mission, 408 N. Fourth St., 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.

• Helping Hands of Springfield, 1023 E. Washington St., 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mon.-Fri.; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun.

Dumpsters for spoiled food

Office of Public Works Director Dave Fuchs said two 20-yard long dumpsters had been set up by Republic Services for disposal of spoiled food at 600 Rickard Road (Lawrence and Rickard) and at 2121 S. 11th St.

"This is not for storm debris. This is not for anything that fell off your house or garage," Fuchs said.

The dumpsters will be monitored by Republic and by the city, Fuchs said. It is possible other dumpsters could be added around town.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture notes in Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency that refrigerators will keep food safe for up to 4 hours during a power outage. It is recommended to keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers after four hours without power.

Around the area, Chatham has a dumpster located in Community Park near the parking lot by diamond #3, near the Dewberry Trail entrance to the park.

Village of Jerome President Mike Lopez said there is also a dumpster at city hall, 2901 Leonard St., for residents to dispose of spoiled food items.

Help in Chatham

The Chatham Area Public Library, 600 E. Spruce St., is open Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They welcome all and their children with space to socialize, play and read for all ages.

A reminder the bike path from Walnut Street to Plummer Boulevard remains closed.

Power lines and limbs are down in this section and should be avoided. Users should be alert for downed limbs on all other portions of the trail.

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Team

The Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Team is offering disaster relief services to residents of Springfield and central Illinois following Thursday's storm.

The team will primarily help clear areas on private property. They will prioritize their work based on hazards, elderly, inability to move vehicles, etc.

The team will arrive at Chatham Baptist Church, 1500 E. Walnut St., on Wednesday to start assessing the area. The saw teams will arrive on Thursday to begin work.

Anyone who has a need should email IBDRdirector@gmail.com and include a name, address, phone number and a brief description of help needed.

The Laborers' Disaster Response Team (LDRT) was deployed Thursday by the Springfield Police. While it isn't currently out, the team, which also assists homeowners, could be called back, Buscher said.

SNAP benefits reimbursement

SNAP recipients who lost food due to the tornadoes that struck central Illinois Thursday may be eligible for replacement benefits.

A form available at www.dhs.state.il.us needs to be completed and dropped off at or mailed to any IDHS Family Community Resource Center. Forms need to be received at an FCRC by Sunday.

Help for seniors

For assistance, call AgeLinc at 217-787-9234 or 1-800-252-2918 (Toll Free) or Senior Services Center of Central Illinois at 217-528-4035 or 217-528-3882.

YMCA locations, UIS, ALUUC lend a hand

Both the Gus and Flora Kerasotes YMCA, 4550 W. Iles Ave., and the Downtown YMCA, 601 N. Fourth St., are opening their doors for the public to cool off, recharge their phones and electronics and access the internet.

Wednesday thru Friday, both are open from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday's hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday's hours are from 8 a.m. to noon.

The Downtown YMCA will have free produce boxes available from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.

The YMCA is also looking for volunteers to assist the public at these centers and donations of water, snacks, non-perishables and personal items from area business to distribute to the public.

The University of Illinois Springfield Student Union is opening its doors to community members who are still without power.

The Union will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday for anyone wishing to charge their devices and used guest Wi-Fi network.

Parking is available in Lot J to the east of the Student Union. Individuals using the Union for storm relief are not required to pay for parking.

Central Illinoisans who need ice, electrical power or the internet also can check in with the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 745 Woodside Road.

Email pastoralcare@aluuc.org or president@aluuc.org to make sure someone is there to open the building for you.

City: Be aware of scammers

The city is reminding residents to be wary of door-to-door solicitors promising to speed up the insurance or building permit process and/or con artists posing as charitable organizations or governmental disaster relief organizations.

Con artists often move quickly into a troubled area and residents should ask to see state or local permits or licenses of anyone approaching them about services related to the disaster. When possible, use established local and trusted contractors.

Get receipts for all repair payments, including payments made in cash. Do not make a check payable to a person other than the owner or the company name. Never give out personal information or bank account information over the phone unless the caller's identity can be verified.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul reminded consumers that the Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act requires contractors to provide customers with written contracts for any repair or remodeling work costing more than $1,000. The AG's Consumer Fraud Hotline is 1-800-243-0618 in Springfield.

Other contact numbers

CWLP Electric Outage Hotline 217-789-2121. Water problems 217-789-2323, Ext. 2. Clearing debris from sidewalks and roadways 217-789-2255 or 217-789-2246.

Reporter Zach Roth contributed to this story. Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Storm help cropping up around Springfield IL area