In light of this week’s expected high temperatures, both the St. Joseph County Department of Health and the Elkhart County Department of Emergency Management have issued extreme heat advisories.
The National Weather Service recently issued a heat advisory for the region until noon Tuesday and an excessive heat warning until midnight Thursday.
Infants, young children, people over 65 and people who are physically ill — especially with heart disease or high blood pressure — are most at risk for heat-related illnesses.
Officials are reminding residents to drink plenty of fluids and stay indoors as much as possible.
They also recommend avoiding exertion during the hottest parts of the day and leaving children or pets in parked cars, even with a window cracked.
All St. Joseph County library branches are available as cooling centers, as well as the city of South Bend’s community centers:
- Charles Black Community Center (3419 W. Washington St.): 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday
- Howard Park Event Center (604 E. Jefferson Blvd.): 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
- Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center (1522 W. Linden Ave.): 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 am. to 3 p.m. Saturday
- O’Brien Fitness Center (321 E. Walter St.): 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
- Pinhook Community Center (2801 Riverside Dr.): Hours typically by appointment, but the building is usually staffed by 8 a.m.
In Elkhart County, the city of Goshen has designated the Goshen Public Library (601 S. Purl St.) as a cooling center. The library hours for the remainder of this week are as follows:
- Tuesday: 1 to 8 p.m.
- Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Friday: 10 to 6 p.m.
In Southwest Michigan, the Cass County Council on Aging has agreed to serve as a cooling shelter. The Cassopolis location (60525 Decatur Rd.) is open until 4 p.m., and the Dowagiac location (227 S. Front St.) is open until 7 p.m.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has also declared Wednesday an Air Quality Action Day for counties in all regions of Indiana, including Elkhart, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties.
This story has been updated.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
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