FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 24, 2021

MEDIA CONTACTS

Weather forecasts are predicting temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend.  The City of Tacoma is encouraging residents to prepare for the heat.

“There are things you can do now to be ready for the weekend,” said Tacoma Fire PIO Joe Meinecke. “Think about wearing light colored clothing and lighter layers, start hydrating now, have electrolytes on hand and know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.”

Symptoms to watch for from the CDC include:

• Cold, pale and clammy skin
• Heavy sweating
• Fainting or passing out
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Fast, weak pulse
• Tiredness or weakness
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea or vomiting
• Headache

If a person has these symptoms, they should cease activity, move to a cooler location and seek medical attention. Elders and children are the most susceptible, so checking on elderly neighbors and keeping children out of the sun is important.

Don’t leave children, dependent adults or pets in parked vehicles. Temperatures can quickly climb to a level that can result in death. If you see a person or pet left in a parked vehicle during hot weather call 911 and stay with the vehicle until it is resolved.

The City is continuing to conduct outreach to unhoused neighbors to connect them with shelter and resources and is providing bottled water to people living unsheltered during weekdays.

Things to do to keep cool:

• Metro Parks Tacoma's 10 spraygrounds will be open daily beginning Saturday, June 26 from 10 am-8 pm.  This opening date is earlier than planned so the public should be aware the opening overlaps with testing and maintenance. If maintenance issues are encountered a sprayground may need to go offline until staff can fix the issue.
• Metro Parks Tacoma’s Centers are open as shown on the website, People’s Center is closed on Sunday. For the most up-to-date information on Metro Parks Tacoma’s services, visit them at metroparkstacoma.org/stay-cool/.
• Stay in the shade.
• Drink water (people and pets)
• Plan trips to places with air conditioning, including libraries, grocery shopping, etc.
• Keep your house cool – shut windows and blinds during the day, and open windows and use fans to cool the house once the temperature outside declines.
• If you plan to go to the water to cool off, please remember that even when it is hot outside, people can die of hypothermia in the water if core body temperature drops below 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tacoma Public Library’s eight neighborhood locations are all open to the public Tuesday through Saturday. However, because Pierce County is in Phase 3, capacity is limited to 50%, with visits on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tacoma Public Library current hours by location:

Pierce County has additional resources available for cooling, which can be found at Pierce County has information and resources available for staying safe and cooling centers for all of Pierce County, which can be found at piercecountywa.gov/heat.

Pierce Transit has partnered with Pierce County Department of Emergency Management to increase access to community cooling centers. From Friday, June 25 through Monday, June 28 Pierce Transit will offer free rides to Pierce County community cooling centers. More information, including a list of available centers, is available here.

In addition, the City is working with Korean Women’s Association (KWA) to begin operating a cooling and air quality relief center. The City anticipates the center opening on Monday, June 28, 2021, at Lighthouse Activity Center (5106 A Street). The center will be open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. when temperature forecast is above 85 degrees Fahrenheit or Puget Sound Clean Air Agency declares air quality as unhealthy for sensitive groups. The center is able to accommodate 50 people at a time and is open to walk-ins on a first come, first served basis. The City is working with KWA to establish weekend hours in the future.

For more information about the City’s inclement weather resources, visit cityoftacoma.org/inclementresources.

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