CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the Coastal Bend area continues to see arctic temperatures, the city of Corpus Christi is making sure residents have resources to survive the elements.
Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo said that she and her team have been making hundreds of calls to Meals on Wheels clients to ensure they are kept up-to-date about their meal deliveries.
Guajardo said the city also is making sure residents don’t go without the bare necessities.
“To make sure that every person has heat, and that they're doing OK, and just to make sure that the meals are coming tomorrow, and today's meal and yesterday's meal was delivered this past Friday,” she said.
Corpus Christi resident Jean Gaskin said that the Oveal Williams Senior Center, off of Martin Luther King Drive, gives her another way to get a warm meal.
“It keeps you from having to cook at home,” she said.
Gaskins said that since the freeze, she has been a frequent visitor at the center because of the comfort it provides.
She said she has heating at home, that it doesn't work very well, so the senior center gives her a better, free option to stay warm.
“It's very insulated, and you can kind of wear off the chills," she said. "It's very warm here.”
Even though she knows firsthand how beneficial the center is, Gaskins said that she wants more people to take advantage of it, as well.
“I think that they should really come into the center if they need it -- and a lot of people do need it -- and they’re not aware of it,” she said.
Around 15 people took advantage of the city's refuge center over at the Corpus Christi Gym on Cabaniss Road.
The facility will stay open overnight for anyone needing a warm place to stay. The facility will close Wednesday around noon.