The tents will offer free water bottles, and have misters and chairs to sit in. They are available for anyone in the city to use and will be open until 6 p.m.
The tents are a pilot project from the city and may be added to additional spaces in the city depending on use, said Ken Snipes, director of Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management, or HSEM. They will be available again July 16.
"We want to ensure access to the park does not compromise on health and safety, and we are thankful to [HSEM] for placing a cooling tent in Republic Square in response to the excessive heat facing our community," park operator and manager Downtown Austin Alliance said in a statement.
In addition to the cooling tents at Republic Square, cooling centers are available in Austin Public Library branches and parks and recreation centers.
Signs your body may need to cool off include nausea or tiredness. If someone stops sweating or feels confused, this is an emergency.
"If someone has the signs and symptoms of heat stroke, move them, cool them and call 911," said Robert Luckritz, chief of Austin-Travis County EMS, or ATCEMS, at a press conference July 14. "It's especially important that we recognize those individuals that have more exposure to heat-related illnesses; patients with complex or chronic medial conditions, the very young or the very old are at high risk."
By the numbers
Since April 1, Austin-Travis County EMS has determined 422 cases of heat-related illnesses have occurred, with half occurring in June and a quarter in July, said Luckritz.
This is an all-time record for the month of June and is almost double of what ATCEMS experienced last year, said Luckritz.
An average of 702 deaths occur each year nationally due to heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Texas, 13 heat-related deaths have been reported this year as of July 14, but no heat-related deaths have been reported in Austin, said Snipes.
What the experts say
NWS announced issued a heat advisory June 13 and upgraded to an excessive heat warning June 15. Another excessive heat warning has been issued for July 14, and a heat advisory will last until at least July 15 but may be extended through the weekend, interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Mills said.
The rest of this summer is forecast to have above normal temperatures for the region, NWS meteorologist Bob Fogarty said.
"When it gets hot, we sometimes think we can push through that heat and we can do things in a typical fashion," Mayor Kirk Watson said July 14. "But it's very dangerous, and we need to know that."
For more information on protection from the heat, visit www.austintexas.gov/alerts.
