Senior Center Set Up as Cooling Center

With temperatures spiking toward 100 degrees Thursday, the town's Emergency Management Department has designated the Senior Center on Main Street as a cooling center for residents.

The National Weather Service effective Thursday afternoon and lasting until at least late Friday. Temperatures are expected to reach up to a scorching 100 degrees -- with a heat index of 105 degrees -- especially between noon and 8 p.m.

Residents who need a place to cool down may go to the Senior Center. The center is regularly open until 4:30 p.m., but Emergency Management Director Jeff Coco said if there is a need then it can be kept open later.

The Senior Center is set up as a day shelter, however, so overnight accommodations have not been made. The American Red Cross has standards and requirements for shelters to be open overnight, including having shower facilities for men and women.

"So theoretically, by Red Cross standards, it does not qualify as an overnight shelter," Coco said. "What we're going to do, if we get to that point where people are requesting to stay overnight, we'll contact our regional MEMA (Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency) and the state MEMA and the American Red Cross, and they will designate where an overnight shelter may be."

If the heat crisis is localized to specific towns, then an exception may be made and the overnight shelter may be set up at the Senior Center. But if it is widespread, then there may be a regional shelter which may be anywhere in the Merrimack Valley.

Coco said that so far there have been no reports of heat related emergencies in town. Police have received inquiries as to what could be done if people request to stay at the colling center overnight, if their air conditioning happens to break, but Coco said it is likely just proactive awareness.

"It's still early in the event," Coco said, pointing out that during the daytime in extreme heat people tend to be at work or go to shopping malls or other places with cooling systems. "I think if we see problems, we'll run into issues toward late afternoon until tonight."

Be Safe

This kind of heat is dangerous. Heat exhaustion occurs when someone is too active in hot temperatures.

Heat stroke is even more severe and can be life-threatening. Children, the elderly and people with illness will be especially vulnerable to heat stroke.

Lawrence General Hospital's Web site details both heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke include:

• Body temperature over 100 degrees
• Rapid pulse.
• Sweating.
• Low blood pressure.
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Confusion

And there are several factors that increase risk for heat stroke.

• Activity involving long periods of outdoor activity in hot weather.
• Age -- the elderly and children are especially at risk.
• Not ingesting enough fluid.
• Ingesting too much salt.
• Drugs interfering that interfere with the way your body handles hot weather, including alcohol, cocaine and several kinds of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

If you think you or a loved one are suffering from heat stroke, call 911 immediately.