With the combination of extreme heat and power outages from last night's derecho, residents are at a higher than normal risk for heat-related illnesses during this heat wave.
The Putnam County Office of Public Safety opened two cooling stations for residents at Trinity United Methodist Church in Ottawa and Kalida Church in Kalida to beat the heat from 3 to 9 pm on Tuesday. With an Excessive Heat Warning in effect across the region with many residents without power, the dangerous heat index values hamper the body's ability to cool through sweating, and the need to open cooling centers was high.
"When we knew that it was going to be really hot, we talked to each other and thought well we should be a cooling station. But they actually came to us before we even got a chance to reach out to them," says Marcella Ciccotelli, Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church.
For those in need of a/c and water or sports drinks, the cooling center at Trinity United Methodist Church will open again on Wednesday from 3 to 9 pm at 137 North Pratt Street in Ottawa.
