Some Sacramento County residents found respite from triple-digit heat in cooling centers on Tuesday afternoon.
Marsha Scribner and Thelma Dekker were among five people at the Wackford Community Center in Elk Grove. Scribner lives in her car and Dekker doesn’t have air conditioning at her home.
“It’s a godsend to be here,” Scribner said.
Marsha Scribner (left) and Thelma Dekker (right) talk at a cooling center at Wackford Community Center in Elk Grove, Calif. on July 2, 2024.Kristin Lam/CapRadio
Elk Grove Public Affairs Manager Kristyn Laurence said five people and one pet used the cooling center the day before. But other cooling centers in the county saw a higher turnout.
The North A Street Shelter near the Railyards was used by 38 people on Monday, the first day it opened this week, Sacramento County Spokesperson Janna Haynes said. The cooling center has a capacity of 45 people. Haynes said the county doesn’t often see such a high usage rate until the third or fourth day of a heat wave.
The county increased its overall capacity Tuesday with the opening of a second cooling center at the service center on Peacekeeper Way in McClellan Park.
“We really hope that people take advantage of these opportunities to just get some respite from the heat, even if it’s just for a few hours to give their body the opportunity to cool down and reset before going back out into the heat,” Haynes said.
The city of Sacramento saw a lower turnout at its two cooling centers open on Monday. The Outreach and Engagement Center in North Sacramento was used by 29 people and one dog, city spokesperson Julie Hall said. It has capacity for 50 people and 15 dogs for weather respite.
The Sam & Bonnie Pannell Community Center in Meadowview, which has capacity for 30 people, was used by six people on Monday.
On Tuesday afternoon, Constance Barkins was one of about 10 people sitting in the Pannell Community Center’s cooling area. She lives in her car and said she appreciates the ability to charge her electronic devices and easy access to a bathroom at the center. Barkins also said she feels like she has a balance of privacy and not being alone there.
“Because it’s cooler in here, I don’t have to deal with sitting in the hot car,” Barkins said. “And it’s just nice. It’s just quiet and peaceful.”
A full list of cooling centers open in Sacramento County this week can be found on the county’s website.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today
