Madison County Commission Chairman Mac McCutcheon was startled by something he saw while checking on county crews clearing roads during Friday morning’s snowfall.

“This morning coming in, there was an elderly person sitting in a bus stop,” McCutcheon said. “Of course, with the condition of the roads, the buses were not running. The person had a walker with the icing and the snow.”

McCutcheon said he was thinking “what in the world is this person doing here?”

“It was very dangerous. With the shelters that we have, help each other,” he said. “It’s very important the public understands the conditions out there, and they need to try to help each other.”

He urged residents to help their neighbors if they had needs to “get them to the right place.”

“We have resources to help everybody and every need,” McCutcheon said.

Warming centers were available throughout Huntsville for unsheltered individuals. About 335 people took advantage of the warming centers overnight Thursday and another 144 people received services at First Stop warming center on Stokes Street.

By mid-day Friday, 325 were taking shelter at the Downtown Rescue Mission at 1400 Evangel Drive in northwest Huntsville, according to Ian Parton, who works the front desk at the mission.

“We are allowing anyone to come in today as long as they are not HPD (Huntsville Police Department) trespass,” he said. “We are bursting at the seams.”

And while so many were taking shelter there, volunteers were in short supply.

“We’re very shorthanded today,” Parton said. “It’s just me and security. But we’re still going to do what we need to do. We’re about to serve lunch. We will have dinner this evening. We are open to the public today.”

Also offering shelter were the Livin’ Room at 2820 Governors Drive SW and the Salvation Army at 305 Seminole Drive SW. Both the Salvation Army and the Downtown Rescue Mission are offering shelter over the weekend.

While Huntsville Transit is shut down, those needing a ride to a warming center should call the Huntsville Police Department’s non-emergency number at 256-722-7100.

Huntsville-Madison County EMA Director Jeff Birdwell said that due to the high volume of calls to 911, calls to that number should be for true emergencies only.