With temperatures reaching 97 degrees and feels like temperatures nearing 110, Omaha residents are finding creative ways to beat the heat while local organizations offer cooling centers for those in need.
Neighbors flocked to water features across the city on Monday as the intense heat wave continued. At downtown's Cascades, people gathered to cool off as temperatures remained dangerously high even after sunset.
"Just trying to take one breath at a time. Oh, and oh, drink a lot of hydrate, drink water, H2O," Frankie Campbell said.
"Definitely keep the feet in the water. So we just came from putting our feet in the water. I just enjoyed it. My feet just had a whole wang dang doodle," Danielle Phelps said.
Up on Military Avenue, some families with children headed to the splash pad at Benson Park for relief.
"It's free and efficient and it's good for the kids. The kids love it," Jacqueline Rodin said.
Isaiah Grant suggested ways to stay cool: "Stay cool in the shade, come to the splash park or a pool or the lake."
"Drink a lot of, a lot of water," Rodin added.
The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) is offering simple recommendations to help residents stay cool while saving energy during the heat wave. OPPD energy advisor Eric Bensalah emphasized the importance of blocking sunlight.
"Closing blinds and or curtains, if you have both, closing both, to any window that is gonna be facing directly to the sun because you're gonna get solar heat gain from the sun coming through the window. It's gonna warm up the floor, and then when the sun goes down, that floor is gonna start radiating heat back in your house," Bensalah said.
A surprising tip from OPPD is to only have one fan running in a room at a time, as fans cool people, not rooms. Other recommendations include drinking cold water to feel cooler from the inside out, waiting until sunset to lower your thermostat to ease the burden on air conditioners, and considering sleeping in a cooler basement temporarily if available.
For those without adequate cooling at home, the Salvation Army is operating cooling centers on Tuesday. The Kroc Center on Y Street will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., while the North Corps location on Pratt Street will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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