July 2008: The Second Extreme Heat Event of the Season
As summer temperatures again reached into the hot mid-90s, cooling centers were activated on Friday, July 19 and stayed open through Tuesday, July 22. Many senior centers responded quickly to the need by extending regular business hours and remaining open over the weekend.
New Yorkers immediately took advantage of the cooling sites. Over the duration of the extreme heat event, 311 received over 700 calls requesting the location of cooling centers.
Some of these cooling center attendees were even featured on the nightly news. Reporters stopped by at several centers, including Goddard Riverside Community Center, Lenox Hill Senior Center, Manhattan Valley Senior Center, and the Sirovich Senior Center, to see how older New Yorkers were managing the heat
Cooling Center Statistics
On Friday, July 18, 295 senior centers operated as cooling centers. The temperature was 94 degrees. Approximately 28,693 people attended the sites during the day and 5,914 people stayed or arrived for extended hours. Many cooling sites remained open well beyond their regular business hours:
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29 sites stayed open until 7pm
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98 sites stayed open until 8pm
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11 sites stayed open until 9pm
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4 sites stayed open until 10pm
Over the weekend the temperature reached 96 degrees on Saturday and 94 degrees on Sunday. On Saturday, 5,142 people attended the 107 cooling centers that were open. Sunday's attendance was similar, 4,996 people, with 89 sites open.
On Monday, July 21, 4,538 people attended a cooling center site during the extended hours. 158 cooling centers opened past their regular business hours.
On Tuesday the heat event ended and the temperature cooled to 86 degrees. Nevertheless, one hundred stalwart senior centers continued to extend their hours to accommodate 3,539 seniors and the general public.
June 2008: The First Extreme Heat Event of the Season
Thousands of seniors and New York City residents sought refuge from the heat during the first extreme heat event of the season in early June. At the beginning of the event on Saturday and Sunday, 41 senior centers opened their doors. Monday and Tuesday saw more than 170 centers extended their regular business hours-many cooling centers remained open as late as 8 p.m.
Other Pertinent Emergency Preparedness Documents:
Summer temperatures have arrived and are here to stay. Seniors are disproportionally affected by the heat and should prepare for extreme temperatures. Above all, stay cool, out of the sun, and well hydrated.
Emergency Contact Update Form
It is extremely important that DFTA be able to reach center directors and their deputies during an emergency. Download the emergency contact form here. Fax or scan and email the completed form to Clint Best (instructions on form).
DFTA Staff Directories
