LONG BEACH, CA – With excessive temperatures expected this week and throughout the weekend, City Health Officer, Dr. Anissa Davis, is advising residents to take precautions against the heat and has activated additional cooling center hours over the holiday weekend.
All City Parks, Recreation and Marine Community Centers and Long Beach Public Library locations are available as designated cooling centers during their normal business hours. Additionally, to ensure residents have access to a cool location over the holiday weekend, Dr. Anissa Davis has activated cooling centers at the below locations, available Sunday, Sept. 4, and Monday, Sept. 5 from10 a.m. to 7 p.m.:
- Admiral Kidd Park Community Center, 2125 Santa Fe Ave.
- Cesar Chavez Park Community Center, 401 Golden Ave.
- Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center at Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave.
- El Dorado Park West Community Center, 2800 Studebaker Rd.
- McBride (Cal Rec) Community Center, 1550 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave.
Face masks will be required at all locations, pursuant to State guidance. For more information, visit longbeach.gov/CoolingCenters.
Due to the excessive heat, the City-run COVID-19 testing site at Ramona Park, located at 3301 E. 65th St., will temporarily modify its schedule and not open on Monday, Sept. 5. Normal operations are expected to resume on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Older adults, those with chronic illnesses, infants and young children are at greater risk for heat-related illnesses. However, everyone should take precautions to reduce the risk of heat-related illness and injury by practicing the following:
- Visit air-conditioned environments during peak heat (noon to 4 p.m.) such as stores, malls, theaters, etc. or one of the City operated cooling centers noted above.
- Check on friends, family and neighbors who are home-bound to make sure they are not affected by the heat.
- Never leave a child or pet in a parked car or asleep in direct sunlight.
- Drink plenty of water before, during and after outdoor activities.
- Make sure pets have plenty of shade and water to drink.
- Take frequent breaks while working or playing outdoors.
- Wear loose-fitting, light clothing and wear a wide-brimmed hat to cover the face, ears and neck if you will be outside.
- Apply sunscreen (at least SPF 15) 15 minutes before going outdoors and re-apply at least every two hours.
- Avoid beverages that have caffeine or alcohol.
- Plan strenuous outdoor activities for cooler parts of the day, and limit time outside during peak heat.
- Pace physical activities, starting slowly and picking up the pace gradually.
- Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. Chronic exposure to the sun can cause cataracts.
- Move to a cooler location at first sign of heat illness (dizziness, nausea, headaches, muscle cramps), rest and slowly drink a cool liquid.
- Prevent children from drowning by providing entry-proof barriers around pools and spas, as well as adult supervision while children are near water.
For more tips, visit: longbeach.gov/extremeheat and follow the Health Department on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.