{"id":10092,"date":"2026-01-27T01:29:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T01:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/?p=10092"},"modified":"2026-01-27T13:11:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T13:11:50","slug":"winter-storm-fern-tests-alexandria-and-reveals-a-community-that-refuses-to-look-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/27\/winter-storm-fern-tests-alexandria-and-reveals-a-community-that-refuses-to-look-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Storm Fern Tests Alexandria\u2014and reveals a community that refuses to look away"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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At\u00a0The Salvation Army Alexandria Corps, the routine is simple: when the temperature hits **32 degrees\u2014or even feels like 32\u2014**the doors open. A cold-weather shelter. A warming station. A safe place for neighbors who don\u2019t have one.<\/p>\n\n

They\u2019ve done it several times this season.<\/p>\n\n

But when\u00a0Winter Storm Fern\u00a0settled over Alexandria, the cold didn\u2019t lift during the day. It didn\u2019t give anyone a break. And when temperatures stay below freezing long enough, being outside becomes more than uncomfortable\u2014it becomes dangerous.<\/p>\n\n

\"\" \"\"So the Alexandria Corps stayed open\u2014around the clock.<\/p>\n\n

What began as an emergency response became a sustained operation.\u00a0Night after night, people came in with nowhere safe to go. At its peak so far, the Corps has been sheltering\u00a082 people\u2014including\u00a032 already checked into the veterans wing and the women\u2019s and families-with-children areas, plus\u00a0as many as 50 additional guests overnight.<\/p>\n\n

As the need grew, the building changed around it. The\u00a0meeting room\u00a0filled with beds. A long hallway between the chapel and offices became a line of cots. When dorm beds were open on the women\u2019s side, women were moved there first\u2014because after days of fighting the cold, even small comforts matter.<\/p>\n\n

And still, neighbors in need kept coming.<\/p>\n\n

The staff carried that reality every hour the doors stayed open\u2014while short-handed, down\u00a0three staff members, with remaining employees working\u00a0double shifts\u00a0to keep coverage steady day and night. Some days, even getting to the shelter depended on road conditions. Every shift required coordination, sacrifice, and a kind of endurance you don\u2019t train for\u2014you discover it when you have no choice.<\/p>\n\n

But what has left Salvation Army Officers\u00a0Daniel and Tammy Camarillo, Corps Administrators in Alexandria, overwhelmed with emotion is what happened once those doors opened.<\/p>\n\n

The community rallied\u2014immediately, practically, and without hesitation.<\/p>\n\n

Churches\u00a0sent volunteers to monitor in shifts.\u00a0City councilors\u00a0and community leaders came by to see what was needed. The\u00a0Red Cross, local partners, and non-profits leaned in. The\u00a0sheriff\u2019s department\u00a0provided\u00a024\/7 security, and the\u00a0fire department\u00a0remained close by. The\u00a0mayor\u00a0checked in and offered generator support if power failed; the\u00a0Homeless Coalition\u00a0helped secure essentials like groceries and paper goods; the\u00a0police department\u00a0and other city partners stayed engaged; the local\u00a0911 coordinator\u00a0checked in daily; and the\u00a0media\u00a0amplified needs so help could move faster. And just as powerfully, everyday Alexandrians showed up\u2014dropping off donations, filling gaps, and even shipping supplies directly to the Corps.<\/p>\n\n

Behind it all was a deeply effective network\u2014a group text chain connecting nonprofits and disaster-response partners across Alexandria. When the Corps needed something, a message went out. And help came back fast:\u00a0I\u2019ve got it. I\u2019m on my way. I\u2019ll drop it off.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Even pets\u2014often the reason someone won\u2019t leave the cold\u2014were met with compassion, with partners willing to help provide kennels so no one had to choose between warmth and their companion.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what stays with you,\u201d said Sergeant Tammy Camarillo. \u00a0Not just the logistics. Not just the numbers. But a community opening its hearts and giving without question to ensure no one goes without.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis experience has been overwhelming because of the way this community has come alongside us,\u201d said\u00a0Sergeant Tammy Camarillo. \u201cI\u2019ve never experienced anything like it. This community cares so much about keeping our neighbors safe. When leaders walk in and say, \u2018We\u2019re here\u2014what do you need?\u2019 it changes everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Winter Storm Fern\u00a0is still impacting the region, with conditions expected to continue into next week. The emergency warming shelter may remain open through then.<\/p>\n\n

But inside the Alexandria Corps, something is already clear:<\/p>\n\n

In the hardest cold,\u00a0Alexandria did not look away\u2014and because of that, dozens of neighbors who might have faced dangerous wintery conditions outside are sleeping tonight in\u00a0warmth, safety, and dignity.<\/p>\n\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

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At\u00a0The Salvation Army Alexandria Corps, the routine is simple: when the temperature hits **32 degrees\u2014or even feels like 32\u2014**the doors open. A cold-weather shelter. A warming station. A safe place […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":10094,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,28],"tags":[79,325,105],"class_list":["post-10092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-partners","category-response","tag-louisiana","tag-winter-storm-2026","tag-winter-weather"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Untitled-design-3-e1769477291711.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10092"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10092"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10114,"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10092\/revisions\/10114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salarmyeds.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}