Elderly resident dies after being found outside assisted living center in bitter cold

BATH TWP. – The death of an 82-year-old woman found outside an assisted living facility early Friday is under investigation by police.

Police were called to Timber Ridge Village assisted living in the 16000 block of Park Lake Rd. after a snow plow driver clearing the parking lot shortly after 7 a.m. located her “curled up on the north end of the parking lot,” Bath Township Police Chief Lyle Lindemulder said in a release.

He said the woman was a resident of the facility and staff were notified and carried the woman inside.

Meridian Township Fire Department and Bath Township police and fire department personnel attempted to treat the woman for what Lindemulder said was extreme cold exposure.

The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to Sparrow Hospital where she died, according to the release.

No one answered the phone after business hours at Timber Ridge Village Friday evening.

Lindemulder said his department is investigating the woman’s death.

Greater Lansing has been under a winter storm warning and experiencing blizzard conditions since a storm front moved in Thursday night. Temperatures overnight Thursday fell into the single digits and wind chill was 10 to 15 degrees below zero.

Whitmer activates State Emergency Operations Center

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday afternoon activated the State Emergency Operations Center because of hazardous weather conditions across most of the state.

Blizzard conditions, power outages and "dangerous driving" are affecting communities across Michigan, and Whitmer said in a statement activating the center means "conditions and needs will be continually assessed and appropriate action will be taken as warranted to protect public health and safety."

Whitmer earlier this week had asked people not to travel if trips could be avoided. Friday, she said all residents should avoid non-essential travel for the rest of the day.

She activated the center at 1 p.m. Friday and as of 4 p.m. there had been no requests from local governments for help from the state.

“Our top priority right now is keeping Michiganders safe," Whitmer said. "I am grateful to our first responders, road maintenance crews, utility crews and volunteers at warming centers who are working hard to keep people safe and warm. By taking this next step to activate the State Emergency Operations Center, we are making sure that our response is coordinated and that resources are available to impacted communities. We will continue to work with local officials and are prepared to offer the full weight of state resources to respond to the storm.”

High winds, frigid temps to continue

The frigid temperatures Friday that were expected to continue into Saturday in Lansing and around Michigan are “pretty similar” to the polar vortex that gripped the state and country in late January 2019, Meteorologist Cort Scholten of the National Weather Service's Grand Rapids office said Friday.

“It's just a little bit warmer than it was in 2019, but not by much,” he said. “Although it is windier than it was during that event.”

Lansing's temperatures hovered around 7 degrees Friday with wind chill of about 15 degrees below zero. While Saturday's forecasted high is 16 degrees, the wind chills won't be as chilling as Friday, about 5 to 10 degrees below zero, he said.

Scholten said with the cold winds any exposed skin will lose heat more quickly and frostbite is a concern for anyone outside with exposed skin for 30 minutes.

He said Lansing has received the majority of snow it will get during the winter storm, with about 3 to 5 inches falling in the Lansing area overnight Thursday.

But the blowing and drifting snow and snow drifts are expected to continue in Saturday.

Lansing saw gusts approaching 50 mph at times Friday. Scholten said conditions are only “very slowly” going to get better Saturday and lake-effect snow showers stretching to Lansing, providing some occasional dustings of new snow are possible.

But the winds are still going to be frequently gusting 30 to 35 mph and cold temperatures are going to be the norm for the next few days. Sunday's high for Christmas Day will only be about 20 degrees, he said.

"So the good news is once we get to about Christmas Sunday, the winds should calm down enough and the lake effect snow should be reduced enough, travel should become a little bit easier,” he said. “There should still be plenty of snow and ice on the roads because it'll be so cold. But at least the new snowfall and the blowing and drifting snow will become less common gradually going into Christmas.”

Flights canceled in Lansing, elsewhere

Flights to and from Detroit on Delta Airlines on Friday were canceled at Capital Region International Airport but American Airlines flights to and from Chicago and Washington D.C. on Friday afternoon were still scheduled as of Friday morning.

Nicole Noll-Williams, president and CEO of the Capital Region Airport Authority, said the airport would remain open but that customers should check with their airlines before coming to the airport through the holiday weekend.

“As we’ve seen over the last 24 hours, weather can impact travel and cause flight delays and cancelations," Noll-Williams said. "Before heading to the airport, customers should check directly with their airline for the most up-to-date and accurate information about the status of their flight. Be prepared to be flexible with respect to travel plans.

“While LAN will remain open and operational, the safety of our customers and tenants is our number one priority. We hope everyone remains safe and want to remind travelers to be patient with airline staff while they work through flight schedule changes."

Detroit Metro Airport, Flint Bishop Airport and Gerald R. Ford Airport in Grand Rapids had widespread cancelations of flights Friday.

US-127 closed due to crashes

The northbound and southbound lanes of US-127 reopened about noon Friday after being closed for crashes.

Northbound U.S. 127 in Mason was closed after a truck jackknifed and blocked the highway around 10 a.m. The freeway was closed at the Cedar Street exit, according to an Ingham County Sheriff's Office Facebook post. No other details were released.

Ingham County 911 in an alert shortly after 10 a.m. said that the southbound lanes south of Interstate 496 near Forest Road were also closed.

The Sheriff's Office said that road salt was losing its effectiveness because of the cold temperatures.

Law enforcement have encouraged travelers to stay off of the roads as Friday's winter storm has brought snow, high winds and frigid temperatures to the region.

Some Lansing shelters remain at capacity

Some city shelters have been at capacity since before the cold weather and snow arrived in Lansing and officials hope those needing relief from the cold will continue coming in.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor initiated a "Code Blue" plan on Wednesday, authorizing the city’s Department of Human Relations and Community Services and the Lansing Fire Department’s Emergency Management Division to begin taking steps to protect residents from the brutal weather conditions. Code Blue will remain in effect through 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

City staff have also been working with city shelters and Dean Transportation is offering transportation to shelters if needed.

City Rescue Mission locations have been at capacity for months. But, while they have been full – usually with more than 100 people staying at both the men’s shelter and another for women and children – new guests have been welcomed in as others have found new places to stay, said Laura Grimwood, senior director of community engagement.

“We’re continuing to do what we can to meet the need as far as shelter,” she said.

Both the men’s shelter and the shelter for women and children have been slightly over capacity, with 104 people staying at the men’s shelter Thursday night and 106 people staying at the shelter for women and children, Grimwood said.

The City Rescue Mission also offers the Outreach Drop-In Center at 601 N. Larch St. It’s a space where anyone can come in to get out of the cold, warm up, do some laundry or simply charge a cellphone, Grimwood said.

The Holy Cross New Hope Community Center at 430 N. Larch St. also had been at capacity, but the Code Blue plan allowed the facility to expand to fire code capacity, or 180 people. As of Friday afternoon, Holy Cross CEO Susan Rosas said about 100 people were staying at the facility.

“We were actually expecting a little more and we will see a little more, especially today and tomorrow … as the temperatures drop,” she said. “But we’re ready for it.”

And the city said Advent House on N. Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard will be available for overflow through the weekend.

Residents can also contact agencies directly:

• Advent House, 743 N Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Lansing (517) 485-4722

• Holy Cross New Hope Community Center, 430 N. Larch Street, Lansing (517) 484-4414

• The Outreach Drop-In Center, City Rescue Mission, 601 N. Larch Street, Lansing, 517-485-0145

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Assisted living center resident dies after being found outside in bitter cold