With an excessive heat watch in effect for the entire week, the Twentynine Palms Senior Center will be open for extended hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as a cooling center. The center is located across the street from the Twentynine Palms Fire Department and next to the MBTA Transit Center. The Center is climate controlled and equipped with a backup generator. If the heat index reaches 115 degrees, the center will stay open for extended hours. Water will be available, however there is no food service, and residents should bring their own snacks. No pets are allowed inside the building. For pets and animal information please contact Palms and Paws Animal Shelter at 760-367-0157. For assistance, residents can call the Senior Center at 760-361-1410.
During hot weather, seniors, infants, young children, and people with chronic health conditions are most vulnerable to health problems and should take extra precautions. Check on elderly family members, neighbors, and friends during extremely hot weather to make sure they are safe. Drink plenty of fluids, wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing, and pace yourself when outdoors. Limit outdoor activity to early morning or evening hours. If you or someone you know is feeling ill from the heat, remove them from the heat immediately, offer water and seek medical help or call 911. Cooling Centers are also located at the Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, and Wonder Valley Community Centers as well at the Yucca Valley Senior Center, or seek comfort in other air-conditioned locations.
Yucca Valley town offices are open during normal business hours with lobby areas to accommodate those wishing to get out of the heat. The Yucca Valley Community Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Hi-Desert Nature Museum is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. People are welcome to bring a book and a snack to help pass the time. The Yucca Valley Library is open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A suggestion from listener Rose Jenkis:
To keep cool and ensure you have plenty of water, freeze your water bottles; they stay cool longer in the car or while you walk, but you have to pour out a little water first, so the bottle won’t explode while freezing. If you take an ice chest somewhere, fill it with frozen water bottles. It’s a double bonus: you don’t have to buy ice to keep your food cold AND you will have plenty water to drink.
Also keep a wet cloth in the ice chest so you can put it around your neck to cool off. When you are done, put it back in the ice chest and use it again when needed.
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING: TWENTYNINE SENIOR CENTER EXTENDS HOURS AS COOLING CENTER
