A power outage was reported in Old Greenbelt on Tuesday, and with temperatures in the mid-80s and the heat index in the low 90s, the City of Greenbelt designated the Community Center as a cooling center for residents to escape the heat. It is city policy to open all city buildings as places of shelter in the event of a power outage during extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, according to Beverly Palau, the city’s public information and communications coordinator.
Despite only the Community Center being listed as a cooling center on Tuesday, all city buildings provided air conditioning, Palau said, and the Greenbelt Police Station is open 24 hours a day.
This is the first time the cooling center policy has been enacted this summer, but Joe McNeal, the assistant director of operations for Greenbelt Recreation, said it will probably not be the last.
In the event of a larger emergency, the city encourages residents to use all public facilities as cooling centers, McNeal said. During prolonged outages or other incidents, Prince George’s County will open larger facilities, such as Eleanor Roosevelt High School, to the public for overnight use, according to Palau.
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