Status of area cooling centers uncertain as temperatures rise

As the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures to rise to 92 degrees Saturday, the reopening status of many area cooling centers is uncertain due to COVID-19.

Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center director Jane Wernsam said exposure to extreme heat especially affects the most vulnerable population — infants, young children, those older than 65 and those with underlying health concerns — which is the same demographics affected most by COVID-19.

The health department compiled a list Monday of possible area cooling centers, Wernsam said — Cape Girardeau Public Library, Cape Girardeau Senior Center, Jackson Oaks Senior Center, Riverside Regional Library in Jackson and the Salvation Army of Cape Girardeau. The status of these locations, however, may be limited or uncertain due to social distancing guidelines.

The Salvation Army of Cape Girardeau usually invites people to visit its building’s lobby to seek shelter from the summer heat, Lt. Matt DeGonia said. In previous years, he said the organization has seen 15 to 20 people crowd in the area during the summer months. While the lobby area is usually open year-round, water and snacks are also provided during heat waves.

But the lobby reopening is uncertain because of COVID-19, he said.

“If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I’d say the cooling center would be open right now,” DeGonia said. “We are exploring and looking at opening our lobby in the next couple weeks here, looking at if there’s a second wave of COVID or anything like that.”

DeGonia said the cooling center location may also be moved to the building’s chapel or gym to accommodate social-distancing guidelines. While the lobby is closed to the public, he said the building is open for those in need of food and resources, and showers are now available.

Jackson Oaks Senior Center director Janet Hitt said it’s uncertain when the building will reopen as a cooling center. Reopening would mean constant sanitizing and monitoring of distancing; since the COVID-19 outbreak, Hitt said the center has lost most of its volunteers and do not have the capacity to reopen right now.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the center had a staff of 50 volunteers, mostly seniors, that operated the facility Mondays through Fridays. Now, Hitt said they see two or three volunteers daily. She attributes the change to the mostly 70- to 80-year-old volunteers staying home to protect against COVID-19.

The Cape Senior Center’s dining room is also currently closed, director Susan McClanahan said, and will remain closed through June. At that time, she said the center will reevaluate the situation and assess whether it has the capacity to reopen this year as a cooling center.

“This year is so different because of the virus that we’re all doing things differently, so until that settles down, [the virus] drives what we’re doing,” she said.

Both Hitt and McClanahan said most visitors to the senior centers come for the meals or programs, rather than for a cooling center. Most individuals are directed to the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau, which may have better cooling center capacity, McClanahan said.

The Osage Centre receives direction from the American Red Cross and Cape Girardeau Fire Department on when to reopen each year as an emergency cooling center, Recreation Division manager Penny Williams said. She said this year would not be any different, as the Osage Centre facility is currently open.

Cape Girardeau Public Library currently offers drive-through pickup services while the building remains closed. Riverside Regional Library in Jackson is open on a limited basis, according to previous reporting by the Southeast Missourian.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported Missouri’s temperatures spike in June, July and August; during that time, individuals are most likely to experience a heat-related illness. Wernsam said most cooling centers open during a heat wave, which is defined by the DHSS as two or more days of extreme heat.

DHSS lists high body temperature, confusion, nausea and headache as signs of heat stroke. Individuals with these symptoms should seek immediate medical assistance. in 2019, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 600 people die from the direct effects of heat each year.