The recent heat wave is set to come to an end, but temperatures are expected to stay in the low 90’s until the end of the week. Officials warned people to stay inside and keep cool in order to avoid heat related illness.
The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory to Connecticut, warning that high temperatures and high humidity will combine for a possibly dangerous situation.
Many Connecticut cities opened up buildings to the public to serve as cooling centers.
“What they're providing is a cool place to sit and relax and get out of the heat. There's also water there,” said Liany Arroyo, the Director of Hartford’s Department of Health and Human Services
While they are open to the general public, the cooling centers are mainly geared towards helping the more vulnerable, namely the elderly population.
“They tend to be inside their home more. They don't get out as much, they might not be getting into an air conditioned environment,” Arroyo said. “Their bodies don't adjust as well to sudden changes in temperatures. Often times they might have chronic medical conditions.”
Officials have advised people to check in on their neighbors. Arroyo stressed that the aspect of community is important when dealing with a heat wave.
“Everyone needs to do their part and it's great when we can use these opportunities to remind ourselves that we are all interdependent and we're all part of a community and this is how we take care of our friends and neighbors,” Arroyo said.
There are twelve cooling centers open in Hartford, three of which are senior centers. The city of New Haven also provided cooling centers. Several were open to exclusively seniors. They can be located by calling 2-1-1. The National Weather Service estimates the heat advisory to last until 8 PM Tuesday evening.
