When the weather gets warm, one of the questions I’m most frequently asked is whether the Red Cross will be operating cooling centers.

This is a totally reasonable question as, in the winter, we have indeed operated overnight emergency warming centers for the homeless in order to save lives.

Nonetheless, the answer is that while we don’t operate cooling centers ourselves, we ARE always ready to provide support to city and county facilities, should the weather get so hot that lives are at risk.

We also do our part to educate, making sure that people of all ages know what to do when extreme weather strikes. [And if you don’t know, I’d urge you to check out www.oregonredcross.org/heatwaves.]

So as we hit 100+ again today, I thought I’d pass along this PDF that shows the locations of all the cooling centers in the metro area. Take a look, pass it on, share with friends, family…and especially elderly neighbors.

Image courtesy of flowers & machinery