L.A. to open cooling centers, resources to escape the heat

The city of Los Angeles will open and operate cooling centers due to an excessive heat warning for the region, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ office announced. 

An excessive heat warning was issued by the National Weather Service, which is in effect from 11 a.m. on Tuesday until 8 p.m. on Wednesday in the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, along with other areas in Southern California.

The centers will be open and operated through Wednesday evening. There will be hundreds of free locations across L.A. for residents to cool off. Some locations include recreation and parks facilities and local library branches. 

For more information on locations and hours of operation for these centers, visit laparks.org/reccenter or lapl.org/branches.

Cooling centers are also accessible to people with disabilities. The centers will give charging devices for phones, along with some medical equipment. The centers will also be equipped with refrigerators for medications. 

Five centers will be available starting Tuesday. Those locations are: 

-- Fred Roberts Recreation Center, 4700 Honduras St.;

-- Mid Valley Senior Center, 8801 Kester Ave. in Panorama City;

-- Sunland Senior Center, 8640 Fenwick St. in Sunland;

-- Jim Gilliam Recreation Center, 4000 S. La Brea Ave; and

-- Lincoln Heights Senior Center, 2323 Workman St.

In addition to the cooling centers, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Homelessness worked with the L.A. Homeless Services Authority began outreach with unhoused Angelenos to give out hotel vouchers.

Three climate stations will also be available in Skid Row for unhoused people to grab cold beverages and cool off in the shade. These stations are located at: 

-- Towne Street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, across the street from the ReFresh Spot;

-- San Pedro Street, mid-block between Sixth and Seventh streets; and

-- Fifth Street and Maple Avenue

The ReFresh Spot, which is located at 544 Towne Ave., is open to provide the Skid Row community with access to drinking water, showers, laundry facilities, and restrooms.The location is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s open to any residents in the community, free of charge. 

If people are looking for another way to escape from the heat, L.A. pools will be open. More information can be found at experience.arcgis.com/experience/f5e82fa14a5f4c2facf5b6c888880153.

The city of L.A. is taking other precautions in preparation for the excessive heat warning. The Department of Water and Power is on standby to meet customer demand. People can report any power outages at ladwp.com/outages or sign up to receive outage alerts at ladwp.com/outagealert.

“The Mayor’s Office of Public Safety continues to coordinate with the Emergency Management Department, Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO), LAFD, LAPD, Recreation and Parks, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), and other City Departments to ensure all departments are ready to respond to this heatwave,” said a statement from the mayor’s office. 

It’s recommended to stay hydrated, limit sunlight exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and listen to your body. Watch out for symptoms of a heat stroke, which are headaches, dizziness, nausea, fast pulse, confusion, loss of consciousness, high body temp, and hot, red, dry, or damp skin. In the event of a heat stroke, call 911, move the person to a cooler place, help lower the person's temperature with cool clothes or a cool bath, do not give the person anything to drink.

Temperatures are expected to cool down on Thursday.