Concerns for homeless as bitter cold descends

The season's first blast of below zero temperatures settles in overnight. Some from a homeless encampment need a new place to shelter in the cold.

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MINNEAPOLIS — The season's first blast of below zero temperatures settles in overnight. That's especially dangerous when frostbite can happen in just a half-hour in this weather. Minneapolis Police say propane tanks were exploding last night and dozens needed help finding new places to stay.

"I would never wish this for anybody," said KB, Southside Kwes organizer. "I think everybody deserves a warm and safe environment." As the arctic air settles in, Cristella Diaz is racing against the clock to save lives as temperatures tumble leaving some with no escape from the cold.



KB and her cousin Cristella Diaz handed out jackets, gloves, and winter essentials to encampment residents Wednesday. Their biggest concern, someone dying in the bitter cold. Diaz and KB plan to help people shuttle back and forth from warming shelters or overnight shelters as they need.

For more information of warming spaces in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, click here . Ubah Ali joined WCCO-TV in September 2023. She makes history in Minnesota as the first Somali-American TV reporter in the Twin Cities.

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