With temperatures forecast to soar to dangerous levels this week, Berks County officials are encouraging older adults to keep cool.<\/p>\n
To help with that, the Area Agency on Aging has designated its senior centers as cooling stations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur senior centers are safe, comfortable, air-conditioned spaces where older adults can cool down, stay hydrated and connect with others,\u201d Katie Cathmark, deputy director for the agency, said in a release. \u201cExtreme heat can be particularly dangerous for older adults, and no one should feel they have to face this weather alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch from noon Wednesday through 8 p.m. Saturday, with dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 108 degrees possible during daytime hours.<\/p>\n
The weather service said warm low temperatures in the low to mid-70s at night will not offer any relief from the heat. This combined with multiple days of near-record breaking temperatures will exacerbate the impacts from the heat and humidity.<\/p>\n
Cathmark said staying cool is not just about comfort \u2014 it\u2019s about safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe encourage everyone to help spread the word and make sure vulnerable residents know they have a place to go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Here are the locations of the cooling stations:<\/p>\n
\u2022 2144 Weavertown Road, Douglassville.<\/p>\n
\u2022 14432 Kutztown Road, Fleetwood.<\/p>\n
\u2022 30 Liberty St., Shillington.<\/p>\n
\u2022 40 N. Ninth St., Reading.<\/p>\n
\u2022 44 East Ave., Strausstown.<\/p>\n
\u2022 350 Sportsman Road, Wernersville State Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u2022 25 N. Second St., Reading.<\/p>\n
\u2022 200 W. Spring St., Boyertown.<\/p>\n
The senior centers will be open during normal business hours and will offer:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Cool, climate-controlled indoor space.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Access to drinking water and hydration stations.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Social activities and staff support.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Information on heat safety resources and assistance programs.<\/p>\n
The weather service warns that prolonged heat significantly increases the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, particularly when nighttime temperatures remain high. Older adults, individuals with chronic health conditions, and those without access to reliable cooling should take special precautions.<\/p>\n
Residents are urged to visit a local senior center to cool down, check on older neighbors, relatives and community members, stay hydrated and avoid outdoor activity during peak heat.<\/p>\n
The Area Agency on Aging is also offering free fans to individuals over the age of 60. They can be picked up at 400 E. Wyomissing Blvd. in Mohnton.<\/p>\n
AccuWeather\u2019s forecast:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Tuesday: Hazy sunshine and toasty conditions; caution advised if doing strenuous activities outside; high, 92 (real feel, 97); low, 71.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Wednesday: Near-record temperatures, humid with hazy sun; dangerous heat; seek time in the shade and stay hydrated; high, 100 (real feel, 110); low, 76.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Thursday: Record-tying temperatures, humid with hazy sun; heat will be dangerous, especially for those without air conditioning; high, 102 (real feel, 112); low, 78.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Friday: Lots of sun, very hot, humid with a thunderstorm in the afternoon; stay hydrated as temperatures remain dangerously high; high, 104 (real feel, 113); low, 75.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Saturday (July Fourth): Temperature breaking the record of 100 last reached in 1966; heavy thunderstorm in the afternoon; dangerously hot for outdoor holiday festivities; stay hydrated; high, 100 (real feel) 111; low, 72.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sunday: Sunshine, a few clouds with a thunderstorm possible; hot; high, 95 (real feel) 103; low, 73.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With temperatures forecast to soar to dangerous levels this week, Berks County officials are encouraging older adults to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208373,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,1057,182,139,28,128,130,129,706,1133],"class_list":["post-231005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-health","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg","tag-weather"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}