With a heat warning once again in place, the City of #Kamloops has reopened the Sandman Centre concourse as a cooling centre.
The concourse was used as a cooling centre during the previous heat wave, which lasted almost two full weeks and saw Kamloops break all-time temperature records, reaching a high of 47.3 degrees Celsius on June 29.
The centre is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The shorter hours tomorrow are because of a celebration of life happening in the Sandman Centre at 1 p.m. for the late Don Moores, the former chief operating officer of the Kamloops Blazers who passed away suddenly on June 30.
For Kamloops and the South Thompson watershed, a heat warning is issued when temperatures are forecast to reach 35 C and overnight lows are forecast to be at least 18 C for at least two days.
Today, Kamloops is expected to reach 35 C, before highs of 37 C tomorrow and Wednesday, and a high of 35 C again on Thursday. Overnight lows will be 18 C for each of the next three nights.
“These continued high temperatures put many vulnerable populations at risk of heat-related illnesses, including the elderly, infants and young children, pregnant women, people with chronic illness, and people experiencing homelessness,” the city says in a news release, also encouraging people to check on their neighbours.
Community development manager Carmin Mazzotta says the city has not had an issue with reaching capacity or having any lineups.
“We don’t anticipate that being an issue at all. It’s mainly just about providing that space for folks to come in from the heat, and also with the smoke right now it’s a nice reprieve. Come into an air-conditioned environment, walk around the main concourse. So folks will be able to come in, and there won’t be any issues in terms of lineups or the like.”
And Mazzotta says the unusually-high need for a cooling centre so far this yet has not overwhelmed staff resources.
“What we’ve done is shift staff from the TCC office where they normally work. They’re still able to work while they’re there, but also able to provide that support, and answer any questions for folks who come in the door, provide a bottle of water, show them where the washrooms are, and just be that welcoming presence.”
