Cold Spell Prompts El Cajon, Escondido to Open Shelters

Frigid temperatures Friday night prompted San Diego County officials to open a pair of emergency shelters to house the homeless during the cold spell.

A Salvation Army office in Escondido and a regional center in El Cajon opened their doors to the homeless as the thermometer dipped below 40 degrees in inland areas of the county.

With continued cold expected, authorities said they planned to keep the shelters open tonight. Under a policy approved in 1987 by the Board of Supervisors, the county opens the emergency shelters whenever the overnight temperature is forecast to be 35 degrees or lower, or 40 degrees with rain.

A warming trend is expected Sunday, but county spokesman Bob Lerner said the shelters would remain in operation as long as the temperatures stay below 35 degrees.

Both shelters opened at 7 p.m. Friday and were expected to close at 7 a.m., with the same schedule anticipated tonight, Lerner said. The Salvation Army office in Escondido is at 11th and Redwood streets; the East County Regional Center in El Cajon is at 250 E. Main St.

Officials opted not to open shelters in coastal areas, as the overnight lows were expected to be between 44 and 49 degrees both Friday night and tonight. Inland lows in the 30s were forecast Friday night, but they are expected to rise slightly tonight, to between 33 and 43 degrees.