Houston will open 22 cooling centers this summer for residents and will receive over $80,000 for air conditioning units and cooling devices for residents in need.
The details
Mayor John Whitmire, along with Reliant Energy and Houston Health Department officials, announced June 1 the launch of the Beat the Heat cooling centers. They also announced Reliant’s plans to donate funds to the city to provide vulnerable residents with air conditioning units and cooling devices. This is the 21st year of the company's partnership with the city.
“It took many years of collaboration and partnership with our friends at Reliant,” Whitmire said during a June 1 news conference. “It also took neighborhood citizens to participate, spread the word that in Houston, Texas, we look out for our seniors, our young people.”
Whitmire also added that the city is providing generators to several multiservice centers across the city, although as of press time, specific locations have not been announced.
“When I got elected, I found out that our multiple service centers, cooling centers, didn’t have generators. Can you imagine that?” he said. “The city that you and I were living in before I got elected, and we would send people over here, and then during the storm, you lose power here. Then what do you do?”
Giving back
Bill Clayton, Reliant Energy Senior Vice President, also announced that Reliant will donate $80,000 to the city to provide AC units to vulnerable residents.
“We don't want anybody, whether you're on a fixed income or not, to have to make a choice between your health and running your air conditioning units,” Clayton said. “We never want to place a customer in that situation.”
The cooling centers will also provide water, snacks and entertainment such as games to bring the community together, Clayton said.
Who it affects
Dr. Theresa Tran, Houston Health Department director, said heat-related illnesses impact everyone, not just certain communities.
“Heat-related illness is not theoretical for us,” Tran said. “We see it every summer, we see it up close, we see it in the ERs, and we see how it affects people and their families.”
Tran said some common symptoms they see include:
- Dehydration
- Heat exhaustion
- Heat strokes
- Fainting
Houston’s climate also makes it more difficult and increases the chances of heat-related illnesses, she said.
“Conditions do become fatal if not treated immediately,” Tran said during the conference. “Here in a subtropical climate, we have a combination of intense heat and humidity, which actually prevents the human body from cooling itself effectively the way that it might otherwise in another type of climate.”
All three officials encouraged residents to check on their neighbors, especially vulnerable residents like seniors, babies and people living with disabilities.
One more thing
The cooling centers are open to the public and free of charge. They will be available through June until the end of September. For a full list of cooling centers, click here.
