People urged to help the most vulnerable as US enters the deep freeze

The prolonged, dangerously cold weather that has gripped half of America has advocates for the homeless scrambling to get people off the streets and local officials urging residents to assist their elderly neighbours.

Forecasters warned people to be wary of hypothermia and frostbite from the arctic blast that has swept down across the Midwest and Northeast.

In those regions the average temperature, without the wind chill factored in, dipped to minus-35 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday morning in Watertown, New York. Temperatures rose to minus-22 degrees (minus-7F) early on Friday.

Warming centres were set up in some locations, including recreation centres across Cincinnati. Boston’s Pine Street Inn sent a van with outreach workers around to persuade people to spend the night inside, but some said they prefer the streets.

Segundo Rivera and Sean Stuart told the Boston Herald they’re not comfortable spending the night in a shelter.

“We’ve lived out here so long it’s like honestly, this is comfortable for us,” Rivera said.