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Code Blue Activated In Newark As Temps Drop; Shelters Open

The city of Newark has issued a Code Blue alert beginning Wednesday and lasting through Saturday morning as temperatures drop below freezing. 

Apostle House is one of several facilities designated to serve as heating centers during a "Code Blue" temperature emergency

Apostle House is one of several facilities designated to serve as heating centers during a "Code Blue" temperature emergency

Photo Credit: Google

“Newark is preparing for extremely cold temperatures this week,” said Dr. Mark Wade, the city's director of wellness and  health. “We will meet nature’s challenge with the strength and resilience that defines us. I urge our residents to take precautions to keep their homes safe and be safe when they are out and about, and to check on their neighbors, especially the disabled, children, and the elderly.”

The city is reminding residents that there are emergency shelters operating during the extreme cold weather that have partnered with the city to provide overnight sheltering. For more information about sheltering services, contact the shelters listed below or the Department of Health and Community Wellness, Division of Social Services at (973) 877– 9481, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Please note that some shelters serve only certain populations: 

Apostle House

513-515 Avon Avenue,

Newark,

(973) 482-0625

Women and children only

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Isaiah House

238 North Munn Avenue,

East Orange

(973) 678 – 5882

Single mothers and families with children

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Catholic Charities- St. Rocco’s

368 South 7th Street,

Newark 

(973) 286-4175

Families with children

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Circle of Life

55 Tillinghast Street,

Newark 

(862) 763 – 4859

Adults only

LGBTQ Friendly

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Fairmont Health

202 Fairmont Avenue,

Newark 

(973) 643 – 7705

Adults only

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H.E.L.P. Center

224 Sussex Avenue,

Newark 

(973) 705-7200

Adults only

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The city offers the following tips on keeping homes safe and coping with extreme winter weather:

· Keep the house heated to a minimum of 68 degrees. The temperatures inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 68 degrees will not keep the inside walls from freezing.

· Identify the locations for the main water shutoff in your home. Find out how it works in case you have to use it.

· Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes will prevent them from freezing.

· Check on seniors to make sure that they are warm and dry.

· Stay indoors as much as possible.

· Check all windows and doors for drafts. Place plastic if you feel a draft.

· Do not leave space heaters unattended.

· Do not use generators indoors.

· It is illegal to use kerosene heaters indoors.

· Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.

· Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

· Never use your oven to heat your home.

· Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

· Take inventory of emergency items.

· Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly.

· Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by checking and cleaning your furnace and chimney regularly and ensure you have proper ventilation and the exhaust pipe is free of debris.

The City of Newark Housing Code requires all property owners to supply heat from October 1 through May 1 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. at a minimum inside temperature of 68°F, and between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. at a minimum inside temperature of 65°F. To report no heat or hot water in your apartment, call the Division of Code Enforcement at (973) 733-6471.

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