When will Columbia’s food banks reopen? Where will homeless sleep?

Harvest Hope Food Bank locations in Columbia and Cayce were closed Monday because of the effects of Tropical Storm Irma but will reopen to serve hungry people on Tuesday, its director said.

“We do anticipate a lot of people coming to us tomorrow,” said Denise Holland, the food bank’s chief executive officer.

Hundreds of people who normally are fed through Meals on Wheels programs received enough food last week to get them through the storm, officials in Richland and Lexington counties said.

Homeless adults in Columbia may sleep Monday night at Transitions homeless center at Main Street and Elmwood Avenue. The dayroom at Transitions is being equipped with sleeping mats to accommodate up to 410 homeless adults, said Craig Currey, the director.

He doubts anywhere near that many adults 18 or older will show up. Transitions is not equipped to handle families, Currey said.

Plans announced Monday morning to open the city’s homeless shelter were reversed out concern of that the metal building could not withstand tropical-force winds, Currey said. Further, officials were worried about transporting the homeless in vans and buses during strong winds, the United Way of the Midlands said.

Columbia normally opens its homeless shelter only during particularly cold winter nights.

In addition, the homeless will be served dinner Monday at Transitions starting at 5:30 p.m., Currey said. Anyone who wants a meal needs to be at the center by 5:30, he said.

Threats of high winds and possible flooding on Monday prompted Harvest Hope to close its local pantries for the day. But pantries in Columbia and Cayce will reopen a 9 .m. Tuesday, the usual time, Holland said.

Harvest Hope provided about 100,000 pounds of ready-to-eat food and water to volunteer organizations over the weekend, she said. That depleted the food bank’s inventory, but what remains is adequate for Tuesday’s expected demand, Holland said.

Some 325 people in Richland County who get hot meals and about 150 who normally receive frozen meals were provided ready-to-eat food late last week, said Pam Dukes, director of Senior Resources.

Dozens who receive Meals on Wheels from the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission got food on Friday to get them through Tuesday, the commission’s director, Mark Smyers, said Monday. Food was provided either through home deliveries or clients could pick up meals at Seven Oaks Park, he said.

Meals on Wheels clients in Richland, Lexington and Newberry counties have gotten 4,000 insulated coolers equipped with flashlights, batteries, First Aid kits and water, said Dukes of Senior Resources. The emergency kits, provided through federal aid, were distributed starting late last year through June, she said. Federal money was offered in the aftermath of the historic flood that hit Columbia in October 2015.

By 1 p.m., nine people with storm-related health issues had been treated at Palmetto Health, the Midlands trauma center, said spokeswoman Tammie Epps. Seven of those were transferred from other hospitals and two are walk-ins to the emergency room, she said.

Generally, the patients needed assistance with medical supplies such as oxygen tanks or help with dialysis, Epps said.

All Eau Claire Cooperative Health Center sites closed on Monday, but will resume normal hours Tuesday, the organization that services low-income neighborhoods in North Columbia announced.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 10:07 AM with the headline "When will Columbia’s food banks reopen? Where will homeless sleep?."