HOUSTON -- Houstonians dealt with their first dose of cold temperatures this season, KPRC Local 2 reported Saturday.

Cheyenne Weakley is used to braving the sudden drops in the temperature. For the last 19 years, her office has been the streets of downtown Houston. Her desk is a horse-drawn carriage.

"It makes for cold ears and cold noses," Weakley said.

This recent cold snap is no different, but she has her ways of getting through it.

"It's layers upon layers upon layers," Weakley said. "And trying not to drink anything because it makes it even colder!"

Weakley said her riders are as accurate as a thermometer.

"You see people out in tank tops and shorts and by the middle of the afternoon, everybody is running for shelter," she said. "Like the bottom has dropped out of the sky!"

That's why she keeps sleeping bags, blankets and throws for everyone who climbs aboard. It's just another day at the office for her.

"But I wouldn't want to be out here to live out here because it's certainly chilly," she said.

While Weakley made her rounds, dozens of people experimented with living outdoors.

They were trying to spread awareness about the critical problem of homelessness in Houston.

Amy Tangy was one of those facing the elements during Houston's first annual SleepOut. Tangy said although it was rough, the experience was only a fraction of what homeless have to endure.

"They don't have all of the sleeping bags and the boots," Tangy said. "We get to go home tomorrow."

And with temperatures that threatened to dip into the mid-30s, folks like Zelda Fields were just trying to get somewhere warm.

"I'm trying to make it home that's all ... standing in a freezer," Fields said.

But that freezer was just fine for Kathryn Rabinow, who took a night out on the town to take in the Houston Symphony.

"It's perfect. It's what it should be in November," Rabinow said. "It's actually a season as opposed to an endless summer."

Organizers of the SleepOut said they raised more than $50,000 in their effort to help the homeless get out of the cold.

They said the number of homeless has doubled since Hurricane Ike.

Cold Weather Tips:

Prepare Vehicles For Cold Weather
• Traffic Safety Tips For Bad Weather Conditions
• Tips To Prevent Frozen Pipes
• Protect Plants
• Heating Safety Tips
Use Space Heaters With Caution
• Carbon Monoxide Information

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