Health Official: Cool Places Abound in Town

The C.H. Booth Library, as well as the Senior Center and other places with air conditioning saw a steady stream of patrons seeking a reprieve from soaring temperatures on Tuesday.

"The nicest thing about this building is we have great a/c," said Marilyn Place, the senior center director. "The only thing we worry about is if we lose power."

Temperatures reached 99-degrees at Danbury Airport as of 4 p.m. and a heat advisory remained in effect until 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Another heat advisory also has been issued for Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The high temperature, combined with increasing humidity makes it feel like 100 to 104 degrees, the weather service said.

Donna Culbert, the health district's health director, said she talked with Bill Halstead, the town's emergency management director, about the possibility of opening a cooling center for residents to escape the heat, but because there were no reported problems, they decided against it.

"A lot of people have a/c or a place to go," Culbert said, adding that supermarkets, the library, senior center are good places to go to temporarily escape the heat. "There are places you can seek relief from if your house is hot."

Connecticut Light & Power also reported minimal problems with power outages. Had there been many customers without power, a cooling center might have proved necessary, she said.

"It's hot but everything is fine," Culbert said, adding that people should stay out of the sun, drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids and reduce their activity level while outside. She also encouraged residents to check on neighbors, particularly the elderly, to make sure there are no problems.

Place said that most of the senior housing in town offer air conditioning, so many aging residents have access to it, though they will still choose to congregate at the senior center, she said.

"It's better here," Place said.

Martha Millett, who has lived in the same Cape-style house in town since 1969 and has no air conditioning installed, said she did not find the heat to be too extreme. Although she dropped by the library during the afternoon and planned to go to a friend's air-conditioned home for dinner, Millett said she spent most of the day in her own house with no problems.

The temperature inside hoovered in the low 80s, she said.

"It's not unbearable," she said. "If you're used to air conditioning, you might think this is too hot."