Cooling centers set up in Rockland County town halls as heat wave rages on

Orangetown, Clarkstown, Ramapo, and Haverstraw are just a few places where the town halls are open their doors to offer relief.

News 12 Staff

Jul 21, 2020, 10:11 AM

Updated 1,598 days ago

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As the brutal heat wave continues, cooling centers are being set up in some Hudson Valley municipalities.
With another day of temperatures in the 90s and high humidity, several towns and villages in Rockland County have opened up their town halls to be used as cooling centers.
Orangetown, Clarkstown, Ramapo, and Haverstraw are just a few places where the town halls are open their doors to offer relief. The Stony Point Community Center (Rho Building) is also open as a cooling center. If you come to one of the town halls, masks must be worn and social distance practiced.

Due to the pandemic, many of the places used as cooling centers, such as libraries and senior centers, or places to cool off like the movie theaters are unavailable. That's why they've opened town hall to residents needing relief from the heat.
"They just come in, it's open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. those are the technical hours. I don't imagine anyone needs it after that, but the police station is open 24 hours. They would certainly let people stay here a little bit later.  And they just come on in and right in the supervisor's office; we have water, we have the bathrooms, anything somebody would need to chill out," says Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny (R).
Meantime, Helping Hands of Rockland are doing their part to help the homeless stay cool. "We distributed extra water so people can stay hydrated.. And we're talking about symptoms of heat exhaustion and trying to educate, so hopefully people will hydrate. People will go to the hospital if they need," says Anna Kobelka, of Helping Hands.
Don't forget malls are now open so that's also a good option for cooling off and there is plenty of room to social distance.
There is a New York State Home Energy Assistance Program to help home owners get an air conditioner. More information on the program can be found here.
Stay with News 12 for the latest weather information.