Dozens of kids in Branson West are enjoying new toys today courtesy of the generosity of several first responders in the area.
Reports say two fire departments and five police departments in both Stone and Taney Counties raised nearly $3,000 to purchase gifts for children in need.
Officials say 60 children in the Branson West community were given presents to open on Christmas that they wouldn’t have had otherwise.
According to the release, several of the child who received gifts have physical or mental disabilities.
U.S. Bank, Community Foundation of the Ozarks and others are donating thousands of dollars to help shelters with the ongoing winter storm hitting southwest Missouri.
Reports say the banks charity, the Musgrave Foundation, pledged $10,000 to support temporary staffing for shelters and warming centers scattered across Springfield.
In the release, publicized Thursday, CFO also says it’s donating $8,500, and the Thomas and Josephine Baird Memorial Fund donated another $5,000.
The donations were made out to the Community Partnership of the Ozarks to assist with a lack of volunteers due to the extreme cold.
If you would like to volunteer at a local shelter, click here. If you would like to make a donation to Community Partnership of the Ozarks, click here.
With bitterly cold temperatures and snowfall hitting southwest Missouri in the next few days, several community officials are establishing locations to help those in need.
Reports say the Springfield Community Partnership of the Ozarks, as well as the Department of Health and Senior Services have set up warming centers and overnight shelters all around the Ozarks, including Greene County.
A list of locations in Greene County can be found below:
East Sunshine – 3721 E. Sunshine, Springfield, Men
Grace – 600 S. Jefferson Women
Asbury – 1500 S. Campbell, Springfield, Anyone & pets
Unity – 2214 E. Seminole, Springfield, Anyone
Sacred Heart – 1609 N. Summit, Springfield, Men
Revive 66 – 3839 W. Chestnut, Springfield, Anyone & pets
The Connecting Grounds – 4341 W. Chestnut, Springfield, Families
Venues 425 – overflow – 425 W. Walnut, Springfield, Anyone
Eden Village 1 – overflow – 2801 E. Division, Springfield, Anyone
Harbor House – only after January 1st, 2023 – 636 N. Boonville, Springfield, Men with ID
The Ozarks first winter storm of the season will make travel challenging even with small amounts of snow accumulation.
The National Weather Service says a Winter Storm Warning remains in effect through midnight Thursday night for areas along and north of Highway 60, including Springfield.
One to three inches of snow are possible in these areas, with the best snow chances from late morning into the early afternoon, when moderate to heavy snow is possible as well as wind gusts of 35 to 45 miles per hour, causing blowing snow and very low visibility.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect Thursday for areas south of Springfield, where one to two inches of snow are expected.
Some areas in central Missouri could see around four inches of snow.
The front moved through Springfield around 6:00 a.m. Thursday, taking temps from 37 down to 27 degrees with a wind chill of 12.
Those temps and wind chills will continue to drop throughout the day.
Wind chills by the early afternoon will range from the teens in the southeastern Ozarks to round -15 near Springfield, to around -20 to -25 in the northwestern Ozarks.
Dangerously cold wind chills will continue Thursday night, with readings from -25 to -32.
Blowing snow will make travel difficult in several parts of the state.
With 2-4 inches of snow and historic -30-degree windchills predicted for Thursday through Saturday, several public agencies gathered Tuesday to remind Springfield-area residents how they can prepare for and stay safe during severe winter weather.
Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management Director Larry Woods reminded residents that preparedness is key ahead of severely cold weather.
“Make sure residences and vehicles are winterized, because as we know, nothing works well when it’s this cold. Consider modifying your travel plans and definitely limit your exposure to this weather. Frostbite and hypothermia can happen very quickly,” he said.
Roadways and utilities
The City’s Public Works Department and MODOT will have snowplow trucks loaded with salt and prepared to treat roadways for this winter weather event. The agencies will watch the forecast and will pretreat roadways as long as rain is not forecasted prior to the snow. The agencies encourage residents to stay home and off the roadways if at all possible. City Utilities’ spokesman Joel Alexander said CU crews will be on-site and ready to respond rapidly to outages.
Home heating safety
The Springfield Fire Department reminded the public of steps to take to stay safe during the coming winter weather, and during the winter months:
Install working smoke alarms on every level of the home, outside each sleeping area, and in every bedroom.
Install and test carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month.
Never leave a space heater unattended.
Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from any heat source like fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators, or space heaters.
Plug only one heat-producing appliance (such as a space heater) directly into an electrical outlet at a time. DO NOT use power strips or surge protectors.
If using kerosene space heaters, use in a well-ventilated area, use only 1-K fuel, and never fuel your heater indoors, while the heater is in operation, or is still hot from operation.
Turn space heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
Have a qualified professional clean and inspect your chimney and vents every year.
Store cooled ashes from your fireplace in a tightly covered metal container and keep it outside at least 10 feet from your home and any nearby buildings.
Crisis Cold Weather Shelters
Community Partnership of the Ozarks Vice President Michelle Garand said the number of crisis cold weather shelters is doubling Thursday-Saturday in light of the forecast. Use the sheltersgf app for up-to-the-minute updates on shelter availability, visit https://cpozarks.org/programs/ccws/ or follow the Crisis Cold Weather Shelter Updates Facebook group.
There are six overnight shelters in Springfield that open when temperatures are predicted to be 32 degrees or colder. The Connecting Grounds’ church building serves as an overnight shelter for four families every night through April, regardless of the temperature.
Those needing shelter should come to Grace United Methodist Church at 600 S. Jefferson Ave. between 5 and 6 p.m. Thursday-Sunday or Springfield Expo Center at 635 E St Louis St starting at 12pm on Thursday and 7am on Friday and Saturday. A hot meal is provided, and buses will transport to the shelters at 6:30 p.m. The shelters and their capacities are listed below.
East Sunshine Church of Christ can serve up to 50 men.
Grace United Methodist Church can serve up to 20 women.
Asbury United Methodist Church can serve up to 35 individuals and pets.
Unity of Springfield Church can serve up to 22 individuals.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church can serve up to 25 men.
Eden Village I community building can serve up to 25 individuals and pets.
YouthConnect Center can serve up to 8 youth aged 13-18.
In light of the forecast, the following churches have agreed to serve as supplemental shelters Thursday- Saturday. The shelters and their capacities are listed below. Some of the shelters will be open for daytime shelter as well.
St. John’s Chapel at 4344 S. Fremont Ave., will serve as an all-gender shelter for up to 15 people Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Brentwood Christian Church at 1900 E. Barataria St. will serve as an all-gender shelter for up to 20 individuals and pets. Brentwood will allow them to stay during the day on Friday and Saturday.
425 (The Venues) at 425 W. Walnut will serve as an all-gender shelter for up to 20 on Thursday and Saturday nights.
Freedom City Church, 1477 N. Broadway will serve as a shelter for up to 20.
Three additional locations have agreed to serve as shelters and are awaiting inspection and approval by
the City’s Building Development Services Department and Springfield Fire Department.
Available Day Warming Centers
Springfield Expo Center – The Connecting Grounds (635 E St Louis St)
7am – 7pm Thursday – Saturday (Dec. 23-24)
Will open at 12pm on Thursday
Springfield-Greene County Libraries
All libraries are closed Saturday Dec. 24, Sunday Dec. 25, and Monday Dec. 26.
Thursday Dec. 22: 10am opening for all branches. The Library Center, Library Station, and Schweitzer Brentwood Branch are scheduled to close at 9pm. The Midtown Carnegie Branch and Park Central Branch close at 6pm.
Friday Dec. 23 will likely be a 10am opening with Library Center, Library Station, and Schweitzer Brentwood scheduled to close at 8pm. Midtown and Park Central close at 6pm.
Thursday and Friday may change as weather conditions change with libraries being closed early or entirely. Those decisions will be made as the weather progresses.
417-616-0587 is the Library Closing Hotline
Veterans Coming Home Center (806 N Jefferson Ave)
7am – 4:30pm Friday, (Dec. 23rd)
12pm – 4:30pm Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 24th – 25th)
This situation is fluid and further updates will be posted through the above. If you need further assistance, contact Emily Fessler at efessler@cpozarks.org or 417-888-2020 ext. 171
Springfield-Greene County Health Department will provide COVID prevention kits to area overnight cold weather shelters. These kits will help reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses within shelters. If you need access to these kits, please contact the Health Department at 417-874-1212.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – All Greene County offices, departments, and 31st judicial circuit courts will be closed Thursday, Dec. 22 and Friday, Dec. 23 due to forecasted winter weather.
The National Weather Service is predicting liquid precipitation to begin at 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, followed by snow and flash freezing later that morning.
Winds could gust to 35-45 m.p.h. in the county and wind chills are forecasted to be below zero.
The Greene County Commission took into consideration the hazardous driving conditions and severe cold temperatures both county employees and citizens would experience while coming into county offices.
“This decision was not made lightly as citizens routinely need to access our properties to conduct business or seek justice, but we must consider the safety of employees and all those accessing the buildings,” said Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon.
“Please put your own safety first and that of your family and loved ones.”The Greene County Highway Dept. is planning to pretreat roads early Thursday morning, but surfaces may not melt quickly due to cold temperatures. County vehicles will also plow roads when the snow begins to accumulate.
Strong wind conditions could lead to snow drift, especially in the western part of the county.
The Highway Dept. will continue to monitor reports from the Sheriff’s Office, county employees, and citizens.
The closure will also affect citizens wanting to pay their 2022 personal property and real estate taxes in-person at the Greene County Collector’s Office.However, “you can view your statement and/or pay your 2022 tax bill online at www.CountyCollector.com.
The Collector’s website has a step-by-step video to assist you if you would like to pay your taxes online.
If you have questions or need assistance, please send an email to Collectorhelp@greenecountymo.gov,” said Allen Icet, Greene County Collector of Revenue.
Taxpayers will still have four more days to pay in-person, starting Tuesday, Dec. 27, with the last day being Friday, Dec. 30.
The deadline to avoid penalty and interest is Dec. 31.Greene County offices will additionally be closed Monday, Dec. 26, in observance of the Christmas holiday.
All offices, departments, and 31st judicial circuit courts will reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
In preparation for a severe winter storm headed towards Missouri, Governor Mike Parson is preparing several statewide organizations to help.
The Governor’s Office says Parson signed the order on Tuesday, activating the Missouri State Emergency Operations Plan as well as the National Guard to coordinate with state and local officials.
Reports say the Emergency Operations and National Guard will assist with relief efforts.
According to the release, the executive order is designated as a “precautionary measure.”
Weather experts are anticipating sub-zero temperatures throughout the state with snowfall and strong winds also expected.
Wind chills could become life threatening, reaching temperatures as low as 30 below zero.
