LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Ahead of a week-long extreme heat event, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Monday ordered the opening of hundreds of libraries, recreation centers and other locations to be available as cooling centers for residents.
Bass led a news conference Monday afternoon at the Pecan Recreation Center in downtown to discuss her plans to protect Angelenos from the record- breaking heat that will impact the city.
“Despite how hot it is outside, it’s nice and cool inside here in the recreation center, and that is exactly the point,” Bass said. “We are opening rec centers, senior centers and other resources, so Angelenos have places to go and stay cool during this week’s recording breaking heat.
“Temperatures could reach 90 degrees … That’s the beach, and I think that is technically still winter. That means we are looking at triple digits across a huge part of L.A. That is not normal for March,” Bass added.
The Los Angeles Fire Department was actively monitoring weather conditions and is prepared to respond to emergencies, according to the Mayor’s Office. The Mayor’s Office of Public Safety also continues to coordinate with the Emergency Management Department and the Los Angeles Police Department to respond to the heat wave.
Residents are encouraged to sign up for weather alerts at NotifyLA.org.
“As a former nurse and a physician assistant, I know first-hand that this heat is something to treat extremely seriously, and I’m making sure the city is preparing accordingly,” Bass said in a statement. “Hundreds of city facilities, including libraries and recreation centers, are available for Angelenos who need to stay cool. Do not hesitate — get indoors and into air conditioning and protect yourself.”
She encouraged residents to check on their family and friends, as well as neighbors, especially seniors and families with small children.
The city has hundreds of locations open for relief from the heat, including recreation and park facilities and local library branches. For locations and hours, people can visit laparks.org/reccenter and lapl.org/branches for information about the cooling centers, or call 3-1-1 to learn more.
The city has selected the following locations to operate under extended hours from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., exclusively to residents and their pets who may seek relief from the heat in areas such as the San Fernando Valley, downtown and South Los Angeles:
— Canoga Park Senior Citizen’s Center, 7326 Jordan Ave.;
— North Hollywood Senior Citizen Center, 5301 Tujunga Ave.;
— Pecan Recreation Center, 145 S. Pecan St., downtown L.A.; and
— Algin Sutton Recreation Center, 8880 S. Hoover St.
Additionally, the Department of Recreation and Parks will continue to operate public pools and splash pads during normal hours of operation. Residents can find their nearest pool at swimla.recreation.parks.lacity.gov/.
LAFD Chief Jaime Moore advised residents and visitors to stay indoors during the heat wave whenever possible. He further urged residents to plan and conduct activities in the early morning hours before temperatures start to climb.
“While the current fire risk is not significantly high, we would like to remind everyone about fire safety and assure you that the LAFD remains fully prepared to respond to any fire within the city of Los Angeles,” Moore said.
Abigail Marquez, interim general manager of the Department of Aging, encouraged people to conduct regular checkups on their older loved ones, seniors living with chronic health conditions and individuals taking medications that may be affected by temperature regulation.
“These sudden spikes in heat can be especially dangerous,” Marquez said.
Marquez said her department operates more than 65 dining sites in the city for older adults, as well as 19 multi-purpose centers. Information on the closest ones or available resources can be found at aging.lacity.gov or by calling 1-800-510-2020.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is conducting outreach to inform unhoused residents of the extreme heat and providing them with information about safety, cooling center location, where to find water bottles and other supplies. The agency is expected to operate so-called “climate stations,” where unhoused residents can receive cold drinks and sit under shade at the following locations:
— Towne St. (between Fifth and Sixth streets) across the street from the ReFresh Spot;
— San Pedro Street, mid-block between Sixth and Seventh streets; and
— Fifth Street and Maple Avenue.
More of these stations are expected to open in Skid Row.
The ReFresh Spot located at 544 Towne Ave. is also open and provides unhoused people in Skid Row access to drinking water, restrooms, showers and laundry facilities. The ReFresh Spot is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to anyone in the community, free of charge.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reminded residents to conserve energy use where possible, as demand for electricity may increase as customers run air conditioners.
In the event of a power outage, residents can report such issues at ladwp.com/outages or by calling 1-800-342-5397. DWP customers can sign up to receive outage alerts via text or email at ladwp.com/outagealert.
The public was also warned to never leave pets or children inside a vehicle, even with the window cracked, as cars can heat up to deadly levels in mere minutes. Anyone who observes a child or pet trapped in a hot vehicle was urged to call 911 immediately.
“Please stick together through this heat emergency, and please check on each other, and take care of each other,” Bass said.
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