Lehigh County goes without cooling stations amid heat wave

Lehigh County goes without cooling stations amid heat wave

By Ben Stemrich

August 12, 2021

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Looking to beat the heat in this latest summer heat wave?

Tanya Hook with the Lehigh County Emergency Management agency is telling residents to find air conditioning.

“Maybe a family member, friend, loved one. You can go to a local swimming pool, library — those types of things,” Hook said.

The county does not provide any cooling shelters. Hook said the pandemic is one of the reasons, but officials also have learned from the county warming stations.

“We’ve set up heating locations or you know somewhere where people can come and get warm during the wintertime, and it wasn’t well used,” she said.

“We definitely don’t want to take people that may be immuno-compromised and put them in a situation where they’re around a whole lot of individuals not knowing whether or not they may be sick.”

Hook said the county has found that folks without air conditioning tend to visit a friend or family rather than a public place.

She recommends that anyone who has to be outside take frequent breaks and stay hydrated. That’s especially true for vulnerable populations, like senior citizens.

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