Bracing For The Cold

The Salvation Army is not turning anyone away from their shelters tonight no matter how full they get, officials with the charity told us Thursday.

A spokesperson said it’s too cold for anyone to sleep outside.

They’re also giving electric space heaters to people, primarily the elderly, who have a home, but can’t afford heat.

The shelters open at 6pm tonight.

While the Salvation Army and others are taking care of the homeless in the area, Duke Energy has declared a moratorium on disconnections for at least two days to combat the cold.

Duke Power officials say on average power is disconnected due to nonpayment for 100 customers in the Upstate each day - so potenially 200 people would have otherwise had their power turned off in the next two days without this policy.

Duke Energy says they want to get the word out that it’s going to continue to be cold - so people having problems with payment need to contact them now so they can work out a payment plan, or direct them to other avenues for assistance.

Duke Power also has a third party notification policy to help its consumers.

It allows anyone to put someone else on their account, so that person can be notified of any problems with payment, and if the power will be shut off.

They say this is especially helpful for people with elderly parents who don’t live with them - they can keep track of what’s happening in the house.

Duke Power’s Cold Weather tips

Reduce your power bill