Updated: Township Opens 'Warming Shelter'

Update: CERT members are hosting about 20 residents at Stonecrest Community Church, where the township's "warming center" is located. Services available at the shelter include showers, food, electrical connections, games—and heat.

Residents at the shelter said they learned about the shelter by word of mouth.

"We're asking people to tell their neighbors or anyone they might know who doesn't have electricity to come to the shelter," CERT member Yee Jao said.

Original post:

Township crews and volunteer firefighters have been working through the weekend cleaning up branches on roads around town, but with more than 50 trees and branches tangeld in power lines, Office of Emergency Management chief Jane Asch says this is the "biggest disaster in recent memory for Warren."

Once again, thousands of residents are being told electrical service may not be restored until later in the week. However, several steps have been taken to assist residents without power:

• A warming shelter is open at Stonecrest Community Church, with electrical connections for residents to charge laptops and cell phones, and Wi-fi Internet to connect with work or family online. The shelter is being operated by members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Office of Emergency Management.
• Warren Tennis and Racquet Club is allowing residents to use the facility's showers until 8 p.m. (bring your own towels).
• Bottled water will be available at the Police Department headquarters.
• Water for washing, cooking or flushing toilets is available at the pump near the snack shack at the municipal ballfields. 
• Township offices are without power, however, municipal employees are working in the Susie B. Boyce meeting room. Residents can dop off property tax payments, which are due tomorrow (Township Administrator Mark Krane pointed out the grace period ends Nov. 10, allowing a little more time for residents to get payments to the township).