Free Air Conditioners Available For Camden County Seniors Amid Heatwave

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — The Camden County government is giving free air conditioners to low-income seniors.

County residents ages 60 and older, making an income of $25,000 or less, are eligible for a free window-unit air conditioner or fan. The initiative, announced earlier this week, comes as the region endures its first heat wave of the year.

"These types of conditions can cause heat related illnesses in senior citizens and other vulnerable populations," said County Commissioner Virginia Betteridge.

Call the Camden County Division of Senior Services at 856-858-3220 to request a fan or air conditioner, or to obtain more information.

"Dangerously" hot conditions will persist through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Heat-index values could hit up to 99 through 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the agency's heat advisory for the area.

Those values could hit 106 thereafter, according to an excessive heat watch in effect from Saturday morning through Sunday evening. The heat index measures how hot the temperature feels.

Heat-related illnesses "increase significantly" during extreme heat and high humidity, the NWS says. People should drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, avoid sun exposure, and check up on relatives and neighbors during the heatwave, officials said.

Here's the NWS's latest forecast for Camden County:

• Thursday: Sunny, hot with highs in the lower 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Thursday night: Mostly clear. Humid with lows in the upper 60s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, hot with highs in the mid 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Friday night: Partly cloudy. Patchy fog after midnight. Humid with lows around 70. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Hot with highs in the upper 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
• Saturday night: Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 70s.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall in the afternoon. Hot with highs in the upper 90s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
• Sunday night: Thunderstorms likely. Showers likely. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and heavy rainfall. Lows in the mid 70s. Chance of rain 60 percent.
• Monday: Partly sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Hot with highs in the lower 90s. Chance of rain 50 percent.