Santa Clara County, CA– The National Weather Service has declared a heat advisory for the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Santa Clara Valley. Temperatures are expected to range from 93 degrees to 104 degrees with the higher temperatures occurring in southern Santa Clara Valley. The heat may cause an increased risk of heat related illnesses. Heat related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke will be possible. People most vulnerable include those who are spending considerable time outdoors, those who do not have air conditioning, young children, the elderly, and those with chronic ailments. Cooling centers are available (see listing at http://bit.ly/Cooling-Centers) and shelters throughout Santa Clara County will extend their hours to provide respite from the heat of the day.
Everyone is encouraged to take precautions against the heat, drink plenty of water and fluids with electrolytes, use air conditioning to keep cool, or go to a cooling center to find relief from the heat.
Residents are encouraged to follow these safety tips:
- Drink plenty of water and fluids with electrolytes, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol, caffeine or lots of sugar because they will speed up fluid loss;
- Limit physical activity: Avoid physical activity during the hottest time of the day—10 a.m. to 3 p.m.;
- Never leave people or pets in a closed, parked car.
- During peak heat hours stay in an air-conditioned area. If you do not have access to air conditioning in your home, visit public facilities such as cooling centers, shopping malls, parks, and libraries to stay cool. Visit http://bit.ly/Cooling-Centers for a list of cooling centers in Santa Clara County. Cooling centers hours are subject to change, please call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
- Visit the Office of Emergency Management website for additional heat safety tips in English, Spanish, Vietnamese.
The County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing staff are working with service providers to allow shelters to remain open during the hottest time of the day to provide the unsheltered with respite from the extreme heat. Outreach workers are making extra visits to encampments to distribute water and provide information about cooling centers and other services. For information on shelter locations in Santa Clara County, visit the Office of Supportive Housing website.
If you know of a vulnerable person without air conditioning, such as an elderly or infirm neighbor or someone with a drug or alcohol disorder or severe mental illness, please check on them and help them get to a cooling center or other air-conditioned space between the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. If you see someone on the street who may be having a reaction to the heat, please help get them to a cooling center or call 911.
Available hotlines to direct people to services:
Call 2-1-1: for health and human services in Santa Clara County;
Homeless Helpline (not San Jose): Call the County Office of Supportive Housing at (408) 793-0550 to ask for assistance or report a homeless person in need in Santa Clara County;
HomeFirst Homeless Helpline: Call (408) 510-7600 or e-mail the HomeFirst Helpline at Outreach@homefirstscc.org.
Homeless individuals can register to receive text messages about services as follows:
- Simply address a text message to: 888777
- Type BADWEATHER in the message
- Send the message