Suffolk County Exec Romaine Announces Shelter, Warming Center Guidance for Extreme Winter

Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and the Department of Social Services issued guidance on Jan. 23, 2026 to help residents secure temporary shelter and access warming centers amid forecasts for heavy snow and extreme cold. The announcement provided direct contact information and outlined multi-department preparations intended to protect vulnerable residents across the county.

Central Housing is reachable during business hours at 631-854-9547, and the Department of Social Services emergency after-hours line is 631-854-9100. Residents seeking shelter placements, warming center locations or immediate assistance were encouraged to call those numbers. The county listed warming center locations as part of the release and urged households to plan ahead for periods of prolonged cold.

Suffolk County activated its Office of Emergency Management as part of the response and coordinated with the Department of Public Works, which pre-staged equipment and mobilized staffing supports to respond to winter conditions. Those operational steps aimed to maintain critical services and ensure that shelter and emergency resources could be brought to bear quickly if storms and extreme low temperatures created outages or unsafe conditions.

The guidance focused on connecting people who might otherwise lack safe, heated space during the cold snap. County officials framed the effort as a cross-department push to reach seniors, residents with housing instability, and others with heightened vulnerability to extreme cold. By centralizing contact points and alerting the public to warming centers, the county sought to remove confusion about where to turn when roads and conditions deteriorate.

For Suffolk County residents, the announcement matters practically and immediately. Keeping the Central Housing and DSS emergency numbers handy gives a direct route to shelter referrals and after-hours assistance. The county reminder to plan ahead underscores the need to prepare households for short-term power or heating interruptions, and to check on neighbors who may have mobility or health challenges.

Looking ahead, county officials signaled continued coordination as weather conditions evolve. Residents should save the numbers 631-854-9547 for Central Housing and 631-854-9100 for after-hours DSS emergencies, monitor county communications for updates on warming center hours and locations, and take steps now to protect household members during the forecast period. The county’s multi-agency preparations aim to keep Suffolk communities safer and warmer until the storm threat passes.