About 80 spend night in shelters

Officials with the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross estimate about 80 people stayed the night Tuesday at shelters in Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

The Red Cross operated overnight warming shelters at the Osage Community Centre in Cape Girardeau and Immaculate Conception church in Jackson to help those left without power to their homes.

After a Wednesday morning count, Red Cross officials told the Southeast Missourian that 51 people in Jackson and 28 people in Cape Girardeau used the shelter service.

No problems were reported at the overnight shelters, despite the stressful situation, said Kessie Hinkle, spokeswoman for the local Red Cross.

"Tensions can run high," she said, "so it's a credit to everyone involved."

Hinkle said the Red Cross is prepared to see the numbers in shelters go up as they convert back to daytime warming centers and some people still have no power to their homes.

A news release from the Cape Girardeau office of the Salvation Army said 27 people visited its shelter on Good Hope Street between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday. The Salvation Army also delivered meals to the Scott County Jail and to five overnight shelters through the county's emergency management offices.

Six people stayed overnight at the shelter in Cape Girardeau. The facility will be open today until 9 p.m. or until the power returns to Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

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