Heat
Community Cooling Center Guide: Heat Waves, Transportation, Pets, and Outreach
How cooling centers help during heat waves, what communities should consider, and how residents can plan transportation, pets, and check-ins.
Quick answer: Cooling centers provide safer indoor spaces during dangerous heat, especially for people without reliable air conditioning.
Who needs them
Older adults, people with health conditions, outdoor workers, infants, unhoused residents, and people in hot apartments may be at higher risk.
Warm nights can make multi-day heat waves especially dangerous.
Access issues
Transportation, hours, accessibility, language, pets, and medical needs affect whether people can actually use a center.
Clear public information matters before the heat peaks.
Household planning
Know the closest cooling location, route, hours, and whether pets are allowed.
Check on neighbors and relatives before heat illness develops.