The city of Chandler will open a heat relief site overnight this summer during extreme heat warnings. It will be the first time the East Valley city has offered overnight cooling center hours.
There are nearly 200 cooling centers throughout Maricopa County to give people an escape from intense heat, but almost all of them close overnight. Nighttime temperatures have shattered records in recent summers. Last summer, the low temperature never dropped below 90 degrees on an unprecedented 39 nights in the Valley.
The city of Phoenix for the first time last summer operated a 24/7 heat relief site. Officials said it was needed because a third of heat-related 911 calls during the previous summer had been placed during hours when most cooling centers were closed.
This year, Chandler officials also say they have seen high demand for nighttime heat relief.
“Things don’t really change overnight. If the weather’s extreme, it stays extreme overnight, so it’s really important that people have a safe place to sleep,” said Riann Balch, Chandler’s community resources senior manager.
Balch said Chandler’s cooling centers had more than 7,000 visits during daytime hours last year.
“Overnight when we didn’t have shelter, people didn’t have somewhere to be safe and cool,” Balch said.
Chandler has budgeted about $600,000 for heat relief this year. The city has already launched eight daytime cooling centers at libraries, public buildings and nonprofits. Chandler has also partnered with the organization AZCEND to run a daytime respite center, where visitors can sleep in cots.
On nights when the National Weather Service issues an extreme heat warning, Chandler will also offer overnight heat respite at the Chandler Senior Center. Balch said the site will have space for about 30 people to sleep.
“I think we’ll be filled to capacity on every night that we’re open,” Balch said.
Last year, the National Weather Service issued heat warnings for the Phoenix area on 45 days — a near record.
