King, Pierce county cooling sites open for people without shelter
With temperatures near 90 degrees across King County on Monday, the regional homelessness authority has activated its severe weather response to protect people who are unsheltered from the heat.
While the agency took steps to make cooling centers available over the weekend, it set its highest level of response Monday for Bellevue, Kent, Tukwila, SeaTac and Renton, where temperatures are expected to be the hottest. That means directing people who are unsheltered to cooling centers and setting up tents with misting fans and water in certain areas.
In Bellevue, the men's day center at Porchlight and a women's shelter at The Sophia Way are acting as cooling stations. In Renton, public libraries and the Renton Community Center are available to people needing refuge from the heat.
The King County homelessness authority is operating a severe weather hotline at 206-245-1026 from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., through which people can get more specific information for their situation. Families with children may be able to get a ride to a nearby shelter, the authority said.
In Seattle and the rest of King County, the homelessness authority has focused on activating cooling centers in places that are considered heat islands or have a heavy concentration of people.
Seattle has several day centers where people can cool off until the early afternoon, including Aurora Commons in North Seattle and the Mary's Place Allen Family Center in the Mount Baker neighborhood. The Bread of Life Mission and Chief Seattle Club are also both open in Pioneer Square, though the area is expected to be crowded with Monday's World Cup match.
In Pierce County, officials are also taking steps to keep people safe from the heat. Pierce Transit is offering free rides to cooling centers and local shelters through the end of Tuesday. The city of Tacoma has made cooling centers available until Tuesday morning and is offering supplies at its public libraries and several homelessness service providers, including St. Vincent de Paul and the Tacoma Recovery Center.
King County's homelessness agency plans to scale back its severe weather response on Tuesday and wind it down completely by Wednesday morning as the region is expected to see the start of cooler temperatures.
The King County Regional homelessness Authority announcement noted that early heat waves can be especially dangerous because our bodies have not yet acclimated to the higher temperatures.
According to the National Weather Service, the Seattle area set a record for heat on Sunday with a temperature of 88 degrees at Sea-Tac. The previous record was 86.
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