How to locate public cooling stations to help beat the heat

MILAN, Tenn. — “We haven’t had any heat emergencies yet,” Milan Fire Chief Steven Dillard said. “We’ve been fortunate in that.”

As temperatures rise into the mid 90s, it is important for those who may not have access to cool air to know where to go.

“We’ve been trying to provide a place if needed where people can get in and out of the heat or cold and provide them with a warm or cool place to stay,” Dillard said.

He says public places such as their municipal building are open to anyone.

“We’re going to open up our lobby for anyone who needs cooling or a cool place to stay,” Dillard said. “And if need be, we’ll open up our FEMA room as well.”

Dillard says the FEMA community safe room has space to house up to 1,500 people, though he says they don’t expect to need that facility.

“Community health departments may have some assistance where people can reach out to, so check those civic organizations first, and even your churches,” Dillard said.

Libraries are also public spaces people normally go to cool down.

“We do see people coming in from the heat because we are centrally located,” Jackson-Madison County Library Director Dinah Harris said. “We did have a situation a few weeks ago that it was very hot outside and we had lots of people that came in, and we ran out of seats.”

But she says everyone is welcome.

“We’d love for people to come in and take advantage of one of our programs and enjoy the cold water fountain water and our cool air conditioning,” Harris said.

The forecast shows heat indices above 100 degrees over the next several days with a heat advisory already in effect for several counties for Thursday. Dillard says to stay hydrated and try to do any outdoor work early.