As Storm Looms, Council Bluffs Police Up Wellness Checks

One Area Homeless Shelter Without Power; Police Checking on People

By Lindsey Theis

CREATED Feb. 20, 2013

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  • Wednesday night, the winter storm warning for the Omaha metro area changed to begin at 12 noon Thursday. Even with that being pushed back, police in Council Bluffs aren't forgetting about the people. Video by kmtv.com

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Wednesday night, the winter storm warning for the Omaha metro area changed to begin at noon Thursday. Even with that being pushed back, police in Council Bluffs aren't forgetting about the people.

A snow emergency goes into effect in Council Bluffs at 8 a.m. Thursday. Crews spent all Wednesday morning treating the streets and added chains and plows to those trucks.

"We will begin the snow emergency routes, and we will stay on those routes until the snow ends," said Pat Miller, operations director for Council Bluffs Public Works.  

Miller said the preparation is standard for a predicted storm. 

Fourteen police officers spent their evening Wednesday night conducting additional welfare checks on top of their calls.

"Typically there is a lot of check welfare calls, with the weather. Sometimes with transients, you see that a lot," Street Officer Ty Boldra with Council Bluffs police said.

On any given night in the Omaha metro area 1,500 people don't have a warm place to go, according to Lisa Emken with the Micah House. The homeless shelter is closed and employees are frantically trying to work to get back open after their power went out late last week. A valve on their water heater broke and ruined their electrical system. Wednesday afternoon, a crew was working to get everything working.

"We're hopeful we can start bringing families in Thursday night if not Friday," Emken said.