Since most of Illinois is having extremely low temperatures, southern Illinois public safety officials say if you have power and your furnace will not keep up with the cold and you use a space heater, keep it away from anything that can ignite and burn.
Furnaces are running quite a bit more than normal. Make sure you have plenty of propane if you're on LP. Also, make sure the furnace vents are not obstructed. It can cause a carbon monoxide build up in the house if vents are blocked.
If you lose power and do not have a generator, look for your local warming center.
The City of Carbondale will open its doors to the public during the day. A warming station will be set up in room 112 of the Carbondale Civic Center, now through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. An emergency warming center is located at 705 E. College Street. It's open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. now through April 1.
Warming centers are also located in Department of Human Services offices in counties throughout southern Illinois.
