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The Denver Coliseum will open as a 24-hour emergency warming shelter for anyone seeking refuge from the incoming arctic cold front starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday, city officials announced.
The city, already dealing with a crisis as it seeks to house hundreds of migrants who have arrived in Denver from the southern border over the last few weeks, announced plans to activate the coliseum as a shelter on Monday ahead of a dangerous weather system.
In a news release Tuesday, officials said the city will be providing free buses from the Denver Rescue Mission’s Lawrence Street Community Center, 2222 Lawrence St., to the coliseum starting Wednesday afternoon. Walk-ins and drop-offs will also be welcome. There will be parking for those who bring vehicles to the arena, located at 4600 Humboldt St.,officials said.
Registered service animals will be allowed inside the coliseum but pets will not be, the city announced. Denver Animal Protection officials will be available to transport pets to the city’s animal shelter for temporary housing.
The coliseum is open to anyone who needs shelter through the duration of the cold front. Additionally, city libraries and recreation centers will be available for those seeking refuge during the facilities’ regular business hours on Wednesday evening and all day Thursday and Friday, officials said.
The National Weather Service is forecasting potential snow on Wednesday night that will be accompanied by the incoming extreme cold. The overnight low in Denver on Wednesday is expected to reach -12 degrees. Temperatures in the city and the Eastern Plains of Colorado are expected to remain at or below zero from Wednesday night into Friday morning, according to a hazardous weather advisory.
Those dangerous temperatures will be made worse by wind chill. The Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning that will be in effect from 8 p.m. Wednesday until 11 a.m. Friday. During that time wind gusts could reach 45 to 50 mph in some places and create conditions where bare skin could develop frostbite in as little as five minutes, according to the agency. Wind chill values on Wednesday and Thursday night are expected to create conditions that feel as cold as -25 to -26 degrees in Denver.
While preparing for the brutal cold, the city also continues to seek help staffing its emergency shelters for migrants from South and Central America. Details about how to apply for those jobs can be found at bit.ly/R0052082,
Another 175 migrants arrived in Denver from the southern border overnight Monday, the city announced. That brings total arrivals since Dec. 9 to 1,321. Of those, 470 people are staying in city shelters and 192 are staying in shelters provided by partner organizations.
Mayor Michael Hancock will be holding a press conference at noon Wednesday in the city’s emergency operations center to discuss cold weather shelter efforts and the migrant crisis.
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