With 110 degree forecast coming, Sacramento to open multiple cooling centers this week
Update 5:30 p.m. Friday: The public cooling center at 1725 28th St. in midtown Sacramento closed Friday, Sacramento County officials said in a news release. The air conditioning unit at the center is broken and cannot be repaired earlier than Monday.
The other four service centers remain open until 8 p.m. on Friday and from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Original story: Local government officials will open at least seven cooling centers across the city and county of Sacramento this week, as extreme heat envelops Northern California.
The two city-operated centers will open at Hagginwood Community Center, 3271 Marysville Blvd. in North Sacramento, and Hart Senior Center, 915 27th St. in midtown Sacramento. Both facilities will be open from noon to 8 p.m. this Wednesday through Saturday, the city said in a news release.
The five county-run centers are Department of Human Assistance offices located at:
▪ 1725 28th St., midtown Sacramento
▪ 2700 Fulton Ave., Arden Arcade
▪ 5747 Watt Ave., North Highlands
▪ 2450 Florin Road, Meadowview
▪ 3960 Research Drive, North Sacramento
Those five offices will extend their normal business hours through 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday to operate as cooling centers, and will be open 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the county said in a news release.
Sacramento County DHA is also activating its “weather respite sheltering program,” which issues motel vouchers to “highly vulnerable unsheltered persons.” The program will be active through Monday morning, according to the county news release.
Additionally, Capitol City Seventh-Day Adventist Church, at 6701 Lemon Hill Ave., will open as a cooling center Wednesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. That site notes that pets are not permitted.
Elk Grove will also open a cooling center, at the Wackford Community Complex on Bruceville Road, Thursday and Friday.
Rancho Cordova announced Tuesday it will open a cooling center at City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Pets cannot be accommodated, except service animals.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning beginning 2 p.m. Wednesday and lasting through 9 p.m. Saturday in the Sacramento Valley. It was moved up, previously set to start Thursday morning.
Sacramento is forecast to hit 102 degrees Wednesday, 110 on Thursday, 106 on Friday and 101 on Saturday, according to NWS forecasts. Some parts of the valley are predicted to reach 113 degrees.
The city’s Office of Emergency Management says it will monitor the weather and may extend operations if necessary. As of Tuesday morning, NWS predicted a high in the upper 90s on Sunday.
City officials also noted cooling centers will be subject to the state’s mask guidance. As per COVID-19 rules updated Tuesday, masks were no longer required in many settings for those who are fully vaccinated — but cooling shelters are one of several exceptions, with masks still required regardless of vaccination status.
“It’s our responsibility as a city to do what we can to alleviate the suffering of people living outdoors during hot and cold weather,” Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a prepared statement. “Ultimately, the answer to such a deplorable condition is to have enough beds and safe spaces to protect people from the elements all year long and to provide them the services they need to find longer-term housing.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 6:46 AM.
