LA City Offers Ways to Beat the Heat; Advice to Safe

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Dedicated cooling centers are open throughout the city of Los Angeles as temperatures remain at or near triple-digit levels in many areas.

The city of Los Angeles' Emergency Management Department says the centers will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in various locations including:

-- Fred Roberts Recreation Center, located at 4700 S. Honduras St.;

-- Highland Park Recreation Center, located at 6150 Piedmont Ave.;

-- Canoga Park Senior Citizen Center, located at 7326 Jordan Ave., and;

-- -Mid-Valley Senior Citizen Center, located at 8825 Kester Ave.

On Twitter, department officials said LA Public Library Branches will be activated Sunday to serve as cooling centers throughout the city during peak heat hours from 1 to 5 p.m., including:

-- Mid-Valley Regional Branch, located at 16244 Nordhoff St. in North Hills;

-- West Valley Regional Branch, located at 19036 Vanowen St. in Reseda;

-- North Hollywood Regional Branch, located at 5211 Tujunga Ave. in NoHo;

-- Arroyo Seco Regional Branch, located at 6145 N. Figueroa St. in LA;

-- Goldwyn-Hollywood Regional Branch, located at 1623 Ivar Ave. in LA;

-- Exposition Park Regional Branch, located at 3900 S. Western Ave. in LA;

-- San Pedro Regional Branch, located at 931 S. Gaffey St. in San Pedro, and;

-- West Los Angeles Regional Branch, located at 11360 Santa Monica Blvd.

Most cooling centers are served by one or more LA Department of Transportation Dash and Metro bus lines.

Details are available at https://emergency.lacity.gov.

"Many of these (shelters) will be at city recreation and parks facilities, all of which offer shelter and cooling during regular business hours throughout the summer," department officials said in a statement.

"When it's hot outside, the more than 70 L.A. City Public Library branches around the city are also available for cooling and shelter during their regular business hours."

The city's Department of Recreation and Parks has a tool online to help Angelenos locate year-round pools and active pools in their communities, which can be accessed at laparks.org/aquatic/year-round.

"As we hit triple digit temperatures in the West Valley, please hydrate and take steps to stay cool," Councilman Bob Blumenfield, whose Third District includes portions of the West Valley, wrote on Twitter. "Many city facilities including pools, libraries and rec centers are open and available to all."

"With high heat in the forecast, it's important to take care of your pets and protect them during the hot summer months," Blumenfield added.

Angelenos can also find a nearby cooling spot using the city's Cool Spots LA App at bit.ly/CoolSpotsLA.