October 17, 2024
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Free cooling centers available in DeKalb County as temperatures rise

By Camden Lazenby
Jamirius Nichols, 7, from DeKalb, gets a face full of water Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in the splash pad at Welsh Park in DeKalb. Temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees Tuesday and highs are expected to remain in the 90's through Thursday.

Shaw Local file photo – Jamirius Nichols, 7, from DeKalb, gets a face full of water Tuesday, June 14, 2022, in the splash pad at Welsh Park in DeKalb. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

Individuals needing a respite from the summer heat have a handful of options to pick from, as city officials from DeKalb, Genoa and Sycamore announced separate cooling centers available for free to those in need.

DeKalb

  • DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St., DeKalb: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Friday. Mondays through Fridays
  • Hopkins Park Community Center, 1403 Sycamore Road, DeKalb: Open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Sycamore

  • Sycamore Center, 308 W. State St., Sycamore: Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays
  • Sycamore Public Library, 103 E. State St., Sycamore: Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays
  • Sycamore Police Department, 535 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore: Open seven days per week, primarily as an after-business-hours cooling center

Genoa

  • Genoa City Hall, 333 E. First St., Genoa: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed between noon and 1 p.m. daily)

We always say if you’re hot and you’re not sweating anymore that’s pretty much a dangerous place to be in.”

—  Don Faulhaber, DeKalb deputy fire chief

Area officials also provided information on how to stay alert to one’s health and safety when out and about in the heat.

“We get a lot of humidity,” said DeKalb Deputy Fire Chief Don Faulhaber. “Usually when you get your dry [weather] your perspiration can cool you off when the humidity is not too high, but when the humidity gets too high you don’t cool off with your perspiration like you normally do.”

Cooling Centers also can be available for those without air conditioning or a place to stay in the shade.

“With the extended heat outlook, we know a lot of people don’t have air conditioning, or nonfunctioning air conditioning,” said Sycamore Fire Chief Bart Gilmore. “We don’t want them stuck in their residences with no relief.”

Authorities also are encouraging area residents to check on their elderly family members and neighbors to ensure they are safe and as comfortable as possible during periods of prolonged heat, and to know the signs of heat-induced illness.

Faulhaber said feeling cold and clam-y when you should be hot, no longer sweating when you normally would, lethargy and weak knees are often the first signs of heat-related illness.

“We always say if you’re hot and you’re not sweating anymore that’s pretty much a dangerous place to be in,” Faulhaber said.

Officials from both departments say the cooling centers are meant to provide a safe haven for those without anywhere to cool off.

Individuals needing urgent help, however should immediately contact emergency medical services by dialing 911.

The centers are meant to serve as a place to get out of the heat, not as a water drinking station, though some of the locations may have access to water fountains.

“We want to be able to take care of people, that’s our role in the community, and we just want to let everybody know what their options are,” Gilmore said.

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