In an unusual move, Kitsap County opened severe weather shelters to help people weather the week’s torrential rain.
“This is the first time we’ve been open for the rain. Usually, it's the cold and or the snow,” said Dan Carlson, one of the site managers for the temporary shelter at Port Orchard United Methodist Church.
By early Thursday evening, four people were settling in for the night.
“The main thing we want to do is make sure that they’re dry when they leave, so we’ve got jackets, socks, gloves, hats,” Carlson said.
A team of volunteers laid out cots and mattresses, brewed coffee, and made sure their guests had a place to dry out their clothes and shoes.
“We were surprised that we had this many people this early. We thought for sure we would be here by ourselves because they just aren’t used to coming in in the wet weather,” said Roland Arper, another site manager.
Kitsap County plans to keep the temporary shelters open through Friday night, as more rain moves into the region.
Hours of operation will be from 6 p.m until 7 a.m. except as noted for the Village Green location:
Port Orchard United Methodist Church
725 Kitsap St
Port Orchard, WA
Silverdale United Methodist Church
9982 Silverdale Way
Silverdale, WA
Village Green Community Center
26159 Dulay Rd NE
Kingston, WA
(This location open from 6:30 PM until 6:30 AM)
Additionally, the Salvation Army operates as an independent winter shelter which is open every night through March 31. Their location is 832 6th Street in Bremerton.