BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — Through surveys, the Brazos County Health Department is trying to gauge the community’s needs, which they believe will eventually lead them to opening a cooling center much like the warming center they provided earlier this year at the VFW.
“We missed the mark last summer the temperatures were at 100 plus for multiple days and we just kept waiting and waiting to see if someone else would take the initiative and we decided that when it came time for the warming center we would go ahead and initiate that and so we’re gonna do the same thing with the cooling center,” said Health Equity Coordinator, Felicia Benford.
The negative effects of heat can take a toll on the community at large.
Benford continued, "A lot of things can happen heat strokes, excessive heat exposure, it’s not good for the individual body so by being in public health instead of loading up emergency rooms with these cases that we find alternative solutions to prevent this from happening.”
This plan is for anyone who finds themselves in a difficult situation this summer.
“This is not only for extreme heat, this is if there’s a power outage, for people’s homes that don’t have great insulation, don’t have fans, don’t have A/C. This is for all individuals to seek respite,” Benford finalized.
Find their survey on their website: brazoshealth.org.