To Beat Heat, City Designates Cooling Centers

By Matthew Leblanc, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.

Jun. 12–As temperatures heat up in Mid-Missouri, the Columbia/Boone County Health Department will try to make sure residents can find a place to cool down.

Prompted by fears that some might not have access to air conditioning during the upcoming sweltering summer months, the department will designate eight “cooling centers” throughout Columbia where residents can escape the heat.

“We will have those available every time there is a heat advisory issued” by the National Weather Service, said Heather Baer, a health department spokeswoman. “People will be air conditioned, and they’ll be able to get water.”

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high temperatures caused nearly 9,000 deaths nationwide from 1979 to 2002. There are no statistics on heat-related illnesses in Boone County, although local health experts say elderly and disabled residents are often at higher risk for heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

The health department’s heat program, approved last week by the Columbia City Council, is aimed at older residents who might not be able to afford air conditioning and disabled residents who might not be able to get to cooler areas.

Many elderly residents on fixed incomes have fans but not air conditioners, said Lois Shelton, executive director of the Boone County Council on Aging. “Overheating for a senior, it’s a substantial health risk,” she said. “They may have a fan, but it’s just circulating heated air. What this program intends to do is provide cool spots.”

Cooling centers are located along city bus routes, and Columbia Transit will provide free passes for riders. For more information, call the health department at 874-7355.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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