Newark, NJ – February 24, 2023 – Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Department of Health and Community Wellness Director Ketlen Baptiste Alsbrook are activating “Code Blue” for 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, February 24, to 8 a.m. Sunday, February 26. During this period, temperatures are expected to drop to a low of 22°F.

“Code Blue” is called when temperatures reach 25°F or lower without precipitation, 32°F with precipitation, or when there is a wind chill factor of 0°. Residents are reminded to continue being cautious during extreme cold weather.

The City is also reminding residents that there are emergency shelters operating during the extreme cold weather and about its partnerships with Social Service agencies. For more information about sheltering services, contact the shelters listed below or the Office of Homeless Services at: (973) 877-9481, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The City offers the following tips on keeping homes safe and coping with extreme winter weather:

• Keep the house heated to a minimum of 68°F. The temperatures inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 68°F will not keep the inside walls from freezing.
• Identify the locations for the main water shutoff in your home. Find out how it works in case you have to use it.
• Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes will prevent them from freezing.
• Check on seniors to make sure that they are warm and dry.
• Stay indoors as much as possible.
• Check all windows and doors for drafts. Place plastic if you feel a draft.
• Do not leave space heaters unattended.
• Do not use generators indoors.
• It is illegal to use kerosene heaters indoors.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
• Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Take inventory of emergency items.

-NEWARK-

For more information on the City of Newark, please visit our website at www.newarknj.gov

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