December 21, 2024
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Beat the heat: Cooling centers open in DeKalb County

Cooling Centers open in DeKalb, Sycamore for residents to get a reprieve from the weather

By Daily Chronicle staff report

File photo - Keagan Jackson, 12, from DeKalb, beats the heat by getting sprayed with the hose by his dad Matt after they washed their cars in summer of 2020. Hot weather has had a hold on the area the last several days and temperatures look to hover at or above 90 degrees for most of this week. (Mark Busch)

Area officials announced cooling centers are free and available to use for the public to beat the heat as DeKalb County swelters under continued heat indexes topping 100 degrees.

The National Weather Service has DeKalb County under a hazardous weather outlook as of Wednesday, for dangerous heat, with temperatures into the low 90s and “peak heat index values up to 108 degrees” expected.

“Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible,” weather service officials urged. “To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 911.”

To locate a cooling center in DeKalb, call 815-748-8460 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. During weekends, holidays or after business hours, call 815-748-8400.

The Sycamore farmers market has also been canceled Tuesday for the “safety of vendors and customers,” organizers with the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce announced on social media.

See below for where you can find cooling centers in DeKalb County:

DeKalb

DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St. in DeKalb

Phone: 815-756-9568

Hours: 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays

Hopkins Park Community Center, 1403 Sycamore Road in DeKalb

Phone: 815-758-6663 or 815-758-6630 (John Shea, Jr. extension 7238 or Cindy Slinkard extension 7274)

Hours: Closed Saturdays and Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Salvation Army, 830 Grove St. in DeKalb

Phone: 815-756-4308

Hours: Closed Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday

Sycamore

Sycamore Center, 308 W. State St. in Sycamore

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Sycamore Public Safety Building (Police Department), 535 DeKalb Avenue in Sycamore

Hours: After business hours, seven days a week

Genoa

Genoa Police Department (inside City Hall)

Phone: 815-784-6633

Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed Saturdays and Sundays

Genoa-Kingston High School, 980 Park Avenue in Genoa, is a backup cooling center

• This story may be updated as more information becomes available.

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