Tirrdell Byrd sat on the floor strumming his guitar as people milled around Over-The-Rhine Recreation Center, winter coats flung over folding chairs, belongings packed into shopping bags and wheeled totes, the aroma of pizza lingering.
Another woman assisted a blind woman in getting a drink of water, while others gathered around a television to watch news about a lethal cold front.
They don’t usually spend their days at a roller rink, but about 200 people, many of whom were homeless, were grateful for a place to stay warm during the sub-zero temperatures that gripped Cincinnati and much of the country.
At night, buses would arrive to transport them to overnight shelters to avoid even colder weather, which can quickly result in frostbite and death.
“This is a safe place for us. And I appreciate the love that is still out there,” said Byrd, who has been staying in shelters until he has enough money to “venture on my own.”
“I hope people can look at this and understand how much character it takes to be out here,” he told reporters Monday.
AccuWeather predicted that much of the eastern half of the country would experience temperatures 12 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (7 to 14 Celsius) below their historical average this week, as cold air is channeled far south of Canada and the Arctic.
On Monday, daytime temperatures in Cincinnati were in the 20s, with overnight lows of 11 at Cincinnati Municipal Airport. The National Weather Service predicted bitter cold with single-digit nighttime temperatures for most of the week.
As temperatures in Cincinnati drop below freezing, recreation centers such as the Over the Rhine Recreation Center are extending their daytime hours to accommodate those in need of a warm place and food. (AP video by Joshua A. Bickel; produced by Brittany Peterson.)
Nonetheless, some people chose to stay outside, braving the cold with only cardboard for shelter.
According to Dave Harris, assistant director of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, the center extends its hours to those in need of a warm place, food, and transportation to overnight lodging.
This is the third year that this center has served as a daytime shelter, and despite not meeting the temperature threshold that determines when to open.
The city decided to open it due to a forecasted storm. Other recreation centers will be open during the day this week.
“If we weren’t available, those patrons and people would … probably be out on the streets facing the elements,” Harris told reporters.
