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With temperatures expected to stay in the 90s throughout the week, Gov. M. Jodi Rell is urging towns to help residents deal with the heat. According to published reports, Rell has asked towns to set up cooling centers, where people without air conditioning can avoid the heat and humidity. At midday Tuesday, a heat advisory was issued for all of Fairfield County.
The dangerous combination of temperatures in the 90s and excessive high humidity will make it actually feel like 100 degrees or more. This can be a tremendously dangerous situation for senior citizens, young children and those who must work outside, Rell said in the release.
Rell also offered some tips from the State Department of Public Health. They recommend drinking more fluids, but avoiding those with alcohol, caffeine, or too much sugar. If possible, you should stay in air-conditioned locations as much as possible. If you must go outside, wear loose-fitting, lightly colored clothing and stay in shady areas whenever you can.
Rell also asked residents to look out for people with higher risk of heat stroke. Parents should frequently check on children and infants. And since senior citizens are also high-risk, she asked neighbors to check on the elderly once or twice a day.
The heat advisory issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration means that a period of intense heat and humidity will make heat-related illnesses possible.
For more information on dealing with extreme heat, check out the Department of Public Health website. To find a cooling center, call the state hotline at 2-1-1.
Official cooling centers in our area include:
Greenwich: All municipal Libraries, the Greenwich Senior Center (299 Greenwich Road) and the Western Civic Center (252 Glenville Road).
Stamford: Government Center (888 Washington Blvd)
Darien: YWCA Darien/Norwalk (89 Old Kings Highway North), Darien Library (1441 Post Road), Town Hall (2 Renshaw Road), Darien Senior Center (30 Edgerton Street).
New Canaan: New Canaan Library (151 Main Street).
Norwalk: City Hall (125 East Avenue), Norwalk Library (1 Belden Ave), South Norwalk Library (10 Washington Ave), Rowayton Library (33 Highland Ave), East Norwalk Library, Norwalk Senior Center (11 Allen Road).
Wilton: Wilton Library (137 Old Ridgefield Road), Wilton Senior Center (180 School Road).
Weston: Weston Public Library (56 Norfield Road).
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