BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Bergen County is opening five regional cooling centers for six days where residents can take refuge from the heat.
The centers will be open during the day from this Thursday through Tuesday, Aug. 11, as temperatures are expected to climb above 90 degrees.
One center is specifically open to pets, but they must be leashed or crated.
The county is under a heat advisory until at 8 p.m. Friday, with the heat index expected to rise to 103 on that day.
The centers will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to an announcement from County Executive Jim Tedesco, the Board of Commissioners, and the Department of Human Services.
Residents requiring a ride to a county emergency cooling center may call Bergen County Community Transportation at 201-394-2882.
The county also noted that several towns are designating their own spaces such as libraries, shopping centers, recreation centers and senior centers as cooling centers during the heat wave.
The county locations are:
Residents were urged to consider visiting municipal cooling centers before traveling to a county facility to help avoid heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
The county recommended staying indoors, especially from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., when the sun is strongest and burns and heat strokes are more likely to occur.
For those who must be outside, the county recommended wearing sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses and staying properly hydrated.
Hot Car Deaths
Don't leave children or pets in locked vehicles, even briefly, because temperatures can rise quickly, officials said.
Parked vehicles should be locked so children cannot accidentally lock inside while playing games such as hide and seek. Children have died after climbing into cars in the heat.
More information about county services is here.
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