Winter weather has claimed the lives of 26 Marylanders so far this season ? a figure that could swell once tallies come in for the most recent snap of single-digit temperatures, officials said.
Nine of the 26 hypothermia- or hypothermia-related victims were homeless, said John Hammond, spokesman for the state?s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, citing records from the end of September through January.
Officials from the state?s Medical Examiner, which confirms weather-related deaths, said they expect that number could soon rise, given the latest bone-chilling conditions.
Advocates for the poor and homeless said their shelters are approaching or over capacity.
“It?s a little bit crowded, but it?s certainly warm,” said Richard Doran, executive director of the Community Assistance Network, which operates two shelters in Baltimore County. “We hope families are looking out for their homeless family members and saying, ?I can?t let you be outside on a night like this.?”
Of the 26 deaths this year, seven were from Baltimore, five from Baltimore County and one each from Anne Arundel and Harford counties, Hammond said.
The state has no reports of hypothermia deaths from Carroll or Howard counties.
On this date last year, 40 Marylanders were dead of weather-related ailments, with 35 recorded by the end of January.
But low temperatures this month are already below averages from last year, sinking to 8 degrees, according to the thermometer at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall airport around 7 a.m. Tuesday ? just 2 degrees above the record low of 6 degrees in 1895.
That?s the chilliest since December 2002, said Calvin Meadows, a meteorological technician for the National Weather Service, who estimated average temperatures so far this month at 6.5 degrees below normal.
Harford County officials urged residents most at risk ? the very young, elderly, homeless and people with pre-existing heart disorders ? to come inside, and bring their pets with them.
About 100 people per night have sought refuge in Baltimore County?s shelters each night, said Mary Harvey, director of the county?s Office of Community Conservation. She said the county?s social services department and private companies offer emergency funds to pay utility bills for low-income families.
“I feel like there is a pretty good safety net of nonprofit organizations and county governments to assist,” Harvey said.
