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Chicago authorities are keeping cooling centers open and directing residents to libraries, security checkpoints and even watering cans in parks in the face of a heat wave with record temperatures in the city.
Heat indices are expected to exceed 105ºF for two consecutive days, Tuesday and Wednesday; a reference point for a National Weather Service heat advisory.
“City of Chicago cooling areas located at the city’s six community service centers will be activated,” the city’s Office of Communications and Emergency Management (OCEM) said in a statement. The city will require masks inside the centers, which are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A heat index of 104ºF is projected at 5 p.m., which would stay above 100ºF until nearly 8 p.m. Tuesday.
“I’m not sure where people trying to shelter are supposed to go,” said Doug Schenkelberg, executive director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.
Chicagoans in need of cool shelter can also find it at home in parks and libraries, OCEM said in a statement. Those air-conditioned public spaces are expected to function as normal.
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People relaxing in the library will find computers, programming and, of course, books, said Patrick Molloy, director of government and public affairs for the Chicago Public Library.
“The most important thing is that we will have fresh air for everyone,” Molloy said. The city’s four main libraries are open from 9 am to 8 pm; Smaller branch library hours vary.
Chicago Park District offerings include cooling centers at 34 field houses. The parks have also activated 176 “water sprays,” spokeswoman Michele Lemons said.
The hot weather could set local records. Tuesday’s projected high of 98ºF is just shy of June 14’s all-time high of 99ºF, and Wednesday’s expected high of 97ºF borders on June 15’s all-time high of 95ºF set in 1994.
But it will feel even hotter. High humidity levels will make the heat index — how the body feels heat — hotter, raising the index to around 105ºF, National Weather Service hydrologist Scott Lincoln said.
“Ninety degrees is already hot, and it will certainly be much worse,” he said.
The city encourages residents to keep an eye on neighbors and family members, avoid leaving pets and people in cars, and watch for signs of heat-related illness.
A May heat wave killed three Chicago women at a Rogers Park senior housing facility. Residents had begged property managers for days to turn off the heat and turn on the air conditioning amid record temperatures, residents and family members said.
A resolution calling for a hearing on the deaths and dangers posed by extreme heat passed Monday in the City Council’s Housing and Real Estate Committee. Councilwoman Maria Hadden, 49, who sponsored the resolution, said she has called seniors and senior buildings in her neighborhood to make sure people are ready for this week’s heat wave. .
“The city is really very proactive about the heat,” he said.
Hadden is trying to pass legislation that would add cooling requirements for senior buildings and buildings with 100 units or more, and establish guidelines for buildings that use two-pipe systems for heating and cooling.
“We can clarify and modify the ordinances, but if we don’t have more thoughtful decision-making focused on the safety and health of residents, it won’t make any difference,” he said.
More permanent housing for the homeless could help protect vulnerable people from heat waves and other dangerous weather, Schenkelberg said.
—To read this story in English, please click here
This text was translated by Leticia Espinosa/TCA
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