This week, a deep cold has swept across the United States, with temperatures in parts of Northern Maine feeling as cold as -69 degrees and winds feeling as cold as -50 degrees. This severe cold has taken lives, caused power outages, and has required those experiencing homelessness to seek out the city's emergency shelters.

The cold has been particularly dangerous in Texas and Arkansas, with an ice storm causing trees to snap and power lines to break, leaving some 150,000 homes and businesses in Texas and 35,000 in Arkansas without power. At least eight deaths are attributed to the storm.

In the Northeast, temperatures have hit an extreme low threshold, prompting many cities to issue a “cold blue” alert, which provides extra resources for those experiencing homelessness. New York City’s Department of Homeless services issued a “cold blue” Friday, offering emergency shelter and directing those without homes