Philadelphians Young & Old Finding Ways To Beat Extreme Heat Gripping City
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- When the temperatures get as hot as they are today, it's important that people do whatever they can to try and keep cool. Eyewitness News caught up with some people around the city trying to find some relief from this summer scorcher.
On a scorching day like Monday, Philadelphians young and old are trying to find ways of escaping the heat.
"There's plenty of shade here, a great place to cool off," said Amy Needle.
Franklin Square and its refreshing-looking fountain is a good place for families, even on a hot day. They've seen folks filtering in and finding their way around starting early in the morning.
"Even with the warm weather, we've got people out early, playing mini golf, we've got families in the playground," Needle said.
This ice sculpture at Dilworth Park is finding it hard to maintain its shape under temperatures that rose into the mid-90s by afternoon.
Even as kids find an innocent way to cool off, the most vulnerable population may need more help as the summer heat often proves to be dangerous.
"We really encourage seniors to contact people, don't get isolated. Contact other seniors, family members, contact your loved ones. Because sometimes in this kind of heat, if you're older, your body is not going to tell you that you're not doing well in the heat," said Chris Gallagher, of the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.
The City of Philadelphia has yet to declare a Heat Health Emergency.
Meantime, the Corporation for Aging tells us that there are several elements that contribute to that happening.
"The Heat Health Emergency has a lot of different factors. It is heat, it's humidity, the high temperature of the day and how low does it go at night," Gallagher said. "They also even contact doctors in hospitals to see what kind of volume they're seeing."
Officials will be looking at temperatures over the next couple of days to see if a health emergency is necessary.
