Contact: Nicole Armendariz 262-548-7902
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 17, 2019 |
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HEAT RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO WAUKESHA COUNTY RESIDENTS
(WAUKESHA, WI) – Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow is reminding residents of the resources available to help them stay safe during the Heat Advisory in effect from noon Thursday until 11:00 pm Friday.
“Excessive heat is the most frequent weather-related danger in southeast Wisconsin,” said Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow. “For this reason, Waukesha County has safeguards in place to ensure that even our most vulnerable residents can stay safe and healthy.”
Plan Ahead
Waukesha County residents are encouraged to plan ahead when extreme heat is on its way.
- Stay hydrated throughout the day and limit physical activities in the heat.
- Residents who do not have access to air conditioning may seek relief in a cooling center.
Cooling Centers
Cooling centers are free locations available for the public to use to cool down, such as libraries, malls, or senior dining centers. They are not typically intended for overnight cooling or sleeping, as nighttime tends to be the coolest time of the day.
- Call 211 to locate a cooling center.
- Dozens of cooling centers and places to cool off are located in Waukesha County
- 211 does not have any resources available for obtaining fans
- The public may use Waukesha County ice arenas as free cooling stations during business hours. The cost to skate is $6.50 for adults and $5.00 for seniors and children.
- Naga-Waukee Park Ice Arena (2699 Golf Rd, Delafield) offers public open skate weekdays from 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm on weekends.
- Eble Park Ice Arena (19400 W. Bluemound Rd. Brookfield) offers public open skate Sunday – Friday noon - 2:00 pm
- Retzer Nature Center’s Environmental Learning Center (S14W28167 Madison St., Waukesha) will be open from 8 am to 4:30 pm.
- All Waukesha County Park System swimming beaches are open. Check website for locations and details: www.waukeshacounty.gov/swimming.
Requesting and Reporting Non-Emergency Information
Residents should only call 911 if they are experiencing an emergency situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment.
- Call 911 for anyone suffering the following symptoms related to heat stroke: headache, red & dry skin without sweating, a body temperature near 103 degrees, nausea or vomiting, a rapid pulse, a declining level of alertness or loss of consciousness.
- Pavement blow-outs can be caused by extreme heat. Call 911 for any Traffic hazards occurring on roadways or Environmental dangers.
- Call your local police or fire department for non-emergency requests.
- Residents in need of information about non-emergency heat-related resources are encouraged to call 211. This information includes where to find cooling centers. 211 also responds to text messages. Requests for information can be texted to 898-211.
- Power outages that do not result in an emergency should be reported to WE Energies at 1-800-662-4797. Power outages that result in issues with medical equipment or produce smoking, arcing, or downed wires should be reported to 911.
Utility Service Disconnections
Consumers are reminded that Wisconsin law prevents a utility from disconnecting occupied dwelling units when a heat advisory, heat warning, or heat emergency is in effect.
- Utilities are required to make reasonable attempts to reconnect service that has been disconnected for nonpayment when there is a potential threat to health or life that results from the combination of the heat and loss of service.
- The utility may require that an occupant produce a licensed physician's statement that identifies the medical emergency for the occupant.
- Contact the Public Service Commission Consumer Affairs at 1-800-225-7729 for more information.
- Residents can use WE Energies’ Outage Map to see the status of any reported outages in the area https://www.we-energies.com/outagemapext/.
Wellness Checks
Certain populations are more vulnerable to health risks related to extreme heat, such as adults over 65; children younger than five; people with health issues such as chronic diseases, or those who take certain medications; and individuals who work outside.
- Waukesha County’s Division of Health and Human Services is helping these populations by increasing wellness checks of current clients.
- Residents can help these populations by checking in on elderly neighbors and by not leaving children or pets in hot cars.
About Waukesha County
The mission of Waukesha County government is to promote the health, safety and quality of life of citizens while fostering an economically vibrant community. We are committed to delivering effective, high quality programs and services in a courteous and fiscally prudent manner.
Additional health and safety resources are available online from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Safety at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/climate/heat.htm.
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Waukesha County Administration Center
515 W. Moreland Blvd Waukesha, WI 53188
Phone: 262-548-7902 |
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