Emergency shelters open

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - As of Friday night, thousands of people in Allen County were still without power.

Dropping temperatures forced dozens to find someplace warm to go.
Nathan Tagmeyer and his wife lost electricity at 9 a.m. By Friday evening, they found their way to the Coliseum. That's where the Red Cross has set up one of two emergency shelters.

"We know that many people were affected in Allen County and many would need a place to stay to keep warm and have a hot meal," says Amanda Banks, Communications Manager for the Red Cross.

The shelter opened at 4 p.m. Friday. Volunteers spent the afternoon setting up chairs and beds.

The Red Cross was also providing pillows, blankets and hot food.
Colisuem staff even distributed free Mad Ants tickets to people for Friday night's game.

Banks says,"It's wonderful to see the community come together to see our volunteers come in the door, eager to help people and just see how we're going to come through this as a community."

The Red Cross isn't the only one pitching in.The YMCA's opening its doors to give people a place to shower. Three branches are open for showers: The Jorgensen Family YMCA, Central Branch YMCA and Parkview Family YMCA.

YMCA President and CEO Marty Pastura says,"We think it's a great community service we can provide for those that need help."

Recovering from the ice storm will likely take days.
City departments are working overtime to keep up and Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry says the worst may not be over yet.

"There are a lot of downed power lines, and while we have freezing weather, the lines will remain down," says Henry. "We've got a constant threat."

A number of other shelters across the area are also open to the public:

In Adams County the Zion Lutheran Church in Decatur and City Hall in Geneva.

In Allen County 2 red cross shelters at Memorial Coliseum and South Side High School in Fort Wayne and the Monroevill Fire Department is accepting anyone who may need help during the outage.

In Wells County the United Methodist Church in Bluffton. Finally in Van Wert County the Van Wert city schools Geodde Complex will be open.

Shelter at Central Christian Church in Huntington closing at 3pm

Shelter opening at Crestview Middle School on 500 North and SR 9, in Huntington opens at 3pm, will have food, cots, blankets. Bring your bring pillow and toiletries.