Health department sees more people using cooling centers as temperatures rise in Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)

As the heat continues to hammer Mid-Missouri, more people are using cooling centers around Columbia.

Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services spokesman Austin Krohn said the department has noticed more people using the several cooling centers around the city. The centers are open to anyone in the community. Air temperatures this week climbed past 90 degrees.

"So, I think we've been seeing a little bit more attendance there (cooling centers). And typically what we see is toward the later end of summer, you know, those dog days in August where it's just pretty brutally hot is where we see our highest attendance." Krohn said.

There were seven locations, but the PHHS wrote on its social media on Thursday that the Francis House is no longer a cooling center.

Cooling center locations in Columbia include: 

• Activity & Recreation Center, 1701 W. Ash St.
  Monday – Friday: 5:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
  Saturday: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  Sunday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. 
  Open July 4 from 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• City Hall, 701 E. Broadway St.; Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, 1005 W. Worley St.; Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Columbia Public Library, 100 West Broadway
  Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
  Friday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  Sunday: 1 – 5 p.m.
• Salvation Army, 1108 West Ash Street; Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – noon, 1 – 4 p.m.
• Salvation Army Harbor House, 602 N. Ann St.; Daily: 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.

ABC 17 News saw one person using the cooling center area at the ARC. Employees at City Hall and the library did not notice a huge influx of people using those buildings as cooling centers.

Each cooling center operates on the time that facility it is located in is open, and those who visit will have access to the centers' water centers' fountain, restrooms, and lobbies.

The PHHS aims to raise residents' awareness regarding the potential hazards and risks associated with exposure to these high temperatures.

According to previous reporting about this week's heat wave, understanding the symptoms of heat-related illnesses, like heat stroke or heat exhaustion, and being able to recognize them is crucial. The National Weather Service lists muscle spasms, nausea, dizziness and fainting as just a few symptoms of heat-related illness.

Earlier this week, Dr. Christopher Sampson, an Emergency Physician at MU Health Care, said heat stroke is more severe than heat exhaustion. If you do start to experience symptoms due to the heat, Sampson recommends getting to a cool area as soon as possible.  In the event of a heat stroke, he said to call 911 immediately.