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Local cooling shelters opened, regional officials warn of heat wave dangers

The Saratoga Springs Recreation Center has been opened as a cooling center in the city
Aaron Shellow-Lavine
/
WAMC
The Saratoga Springs Recreation Center has been opened as a cooling center in the city

Triple-digit heat warnings have been in place across the Northeast for the past 24 hours and are expected to stay in place through the evening. Local cooling shelters can help people stay safe.

According to the National Weather Service, Saratoga Springs is set to get to temperatures near 95 degrees, with a heat index making it feel well above 100.

Experts say these are potentially dangerous conditions that can cause serious health concerns. And in Bethlehem, three residents of an assisted living facility have been hospitalized after the facility lost power Monday.

In the face of extreme heat, local cooling shelters can be a vital resource.

RISE Housing and Support Services operates a 24/7, low-barrier shelter on Adelphi Street on the city’s west side.

Barry Burlingame has been in and out of RISE services for years, but he’s spent the past few days taking shelter from the heat here on Adelphi Street. He says word spread quickly that the shelter was open as a cooling center.

“Could be heat stroke. I mean could be dehydration especially if the person’s not hydrating enough during the day. That sun is very brutal, the UV index could be phenomenal. So, it definitely gives them that golden opportunity to cool down, be where they’re safe from the sun, where they’re not having to worry about next thing they know they’re going to the E.R. due to dehydration or heat stroke or something like that,” said Burlingame.

RISE Advocacy and Outreach Director Victoria Furfaro made the decision Monday to open the shelter to anyone who needs a place to cool off.

“In the winter time folks that are stating outside can build a campfire if they’re in an authorized location, they can bundle up with more blankets and sleeping bags so on and so forth. Obviously, it’s not ideal, but in the summertime there’s not much you can do to get out of that heat,” said Furfaro.

Saratoga Springs' Recreation Center has also been opened as a cooling station.

As New Yorkers head to the polls to vote in local primaries, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Air Resources Director Margaret LaFarr says an ozone advisory for the lower Hudson Valley adds to the reasons to stay inside.

“It should be a signal to people to take notice and think about changing their outdoor activities. You want to limit any strenuous activities and really just take it easy. Try to spend more time inside where the air is filtered and cool,” said LaFarr.

Tom Wasula has been a forecaster with the National Weather Service for 26 years. He says unprecedented dew points in the 70s and 80s only added to the discomfort of the heat wave.

“And that is extremely humid for the Northeast an especially for Eastern New York and Western New England. It’s something comparable that you’d see down in the deep South. It’s very uncommon here. And when you take the air temperature getting up into the mid-90s, and in some cases the upper-90s, which we hit 96 and tied a record in Albany yesterday, the heat indices, or feel-like temperatures, got to 105 to almost 110. And that’s very dangerous and very unusual for this area and this time of year even,” said Wasula.

But Wasula says the season’s first heatwave isn’t expected to last.

“It’ll still be a bit humid for places from Albany Southeast tomorrow, but the cooler temperatures are coming for the end of the week, there just may be a few showers or thunderstorm around. But, the relief is on the way,” said Wasula.

A map of cooling centers throughout New York state can be found at the New York State Department of Health’s website.

Massachusetts Cooling Centers.