Action Needed on Cooling Centers

As temperatures clocked triple digits leading up to the Independence holiday, a resident of the Pottstown supportive housing facility (former Days Inn) called my office. 

He politely pressed me for details on Montgomery County’s plan for cooling centers. Many people cannot escape the oppressive heat and face the prospect of sleeping outside, he said, emphasisizing that some people may die. 

In Pottstown, I informed him, the public library and senior center serve as the official cooling centers. Of course, neither of these options are open around-the-clock. In fact, both close before the sun sets. 

{Practically speaking, this approach pales in comparison to the ‘Code Blue’ infrastructure that is deployed every winter when temperatures dip below 32 degrees. During these frigid stretches, participating churches and other providers activate emergency shelter beds. This laudable operation is made possible thanks to volunteers and administrative support from the county.}

As our world continues to simmer, due to the burning of fossil fuels, I believe that we need to invest now in social infrastructure that both connects people and keeps them alive during heat waves. Intense heat can be socially isolating, not just physically debilitating. Some people sit for long stretches inside their running cars. Others may stay in one particular room of their house that they can afford to cool. With rising electricity rates, it is understandable why some people choose – out of necessity – to forgo air conditioning for stretches of the summer. 

On the holiday when America in its infancy declared independence from England, we look back to our mother continent for guidance, courtesy of an article in the Guardian: 

“The US and Australia are fond of huge air-conditioned sports facilities in which people can seek refuge when the weather gets hot, but these are often hard to reach for those without cars. Parts of Europe have instead sought to repurpose public buildings such as schools, museums and libraries, and turn them into cooling centres.

Climate shelters became popular in Barcelona, a pioneer of urban design that is famous for its “superblocks”, and the shelters have swelled in number to more than 400 since 2020. They have spread across Spain and farther afield, with cooling zones popping up from Paris to Amsterdam and Vienna.

More than 90% of vulnerable older residents of Barcelona live within a 10-minute walk of a climate shelter, a study found in September, though summer closures mean this drops to 75% in August, when they are needed most. Supporters say repurposing spaces to make them heatwave-safe requires only minor investments, such as changing opening hours and training staff, and can unlock a potentially life-saving refuge that keeps temperatures low and lets people drink water and use the toilet.” 

While 90% of American homes have air conditioning, only 20% of European homes do. Given that half of Pennsylvania’s housing stock is more than 50 years old, we have more in common with Europe’s heat resilience than many states. 

So what’s our vision? 

#1 – Stand up and staff cooling centers across Montgomery County so that everyone is within a 30-minute walk or 10-minute drive of a cooling location. We don’t need to build them!  Think churches, schools, civic halls, and social clubs. 

#2 – Activate a volunteer base that can check in on seniors and vulnerable community members who voluntarily sign up for heat wave wellness checks. These can also be in the form of phone calls and text messages. 

#3 – Continue advocating for the expansion of Whole Home Repairs, a successful program to replace outdated critical home systems (like roofs, plumbing, and HVAC). Unfortunately, President Trump blocked the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, federal legislation that would have infused more federal dollars into Whole Home Repairs. It's considered the most ambitious federal housing bill in three decades.

Coming from someone who works in state government, I agree that it often feels like we are reacting to threats and challenges instead of getting ahead of them. The planet is only going to get warmer, so we need to act now to fortify our communities’ resilience and protect the health of our constituents.