NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Sunday marked at least the fourth day in a row in the 90s and the hottest day for far in 2024.
For people who are living outside without shelter, staying cool and safe is hard without some help.
At the height of the heat, The Salvation Army's Heat Patrol set up shop near a homeless encampment by the Cumberland River. Whenever the heat index is forecast to be above 100, the team heads out.
"We've done heat patrol for the last almost five years I've been here, and I feel like this year is going to be one of the hottest years we've done," said Tiffany Ladd, team lead for the LIFNAV outreach program.
The heat patrol team encounters roughly 200 to 250 every time they deploy.
At "Old Tent City," Ladd hand-delivered people bottles of water, fruit cups, popsicles and snacks packed with electrolytes.
"Cold water — it's like you've brought them gold," Ladd said.
The brief relief from the heat only does so much. The goal is to get people into permanent housing, this summer. Forecasters warn it's going to extremely heat and shelter is critical to survival.
"[For] our friends, it's survival mode. And, so, it's nothing for them to find a bottle of water — because they're dying of thirst — pick that up. We don't know how long it's been out there or what's in it," Ladd said.
If you would like to assist in these efforts, visit Salvation Arm Nashville to provide a monetary donation so that needed supplies can be purchased, or you can purchase supplies from their registry and have them shipped directly to the local office.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
