Salvation Army opens cooling centers as people try to beat heat - CBS Atlanta 46
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Children splash and play in the fountains at Centennial Olympic Park, oblivious to the relentless heat wave that is scorching metro Atlanta.
As the kids cool down in the water, adults take cover from the unforgiving sun.
Fatiya Bradshaw was looking for a place to take her kids to lunch, but the heat was so brutal she brought them to the fountain instead.
"It is dangerously hot," Bradshaw said. "The only place to be is in the water."
People around metro Atlanta did whatever they could try to beat the heat.
The Salvation Army opened cooling centers at their sites on Sherrydale Road in Decatur and Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville. The Salvation Army handed out free fans and bottles of water as well.
Boye Oluwa's air conditioner at home wasn't getting the job done, so he and his wife went to the center in Lawrenceville to pick up a free fan.
"No matter how low we turn it, it's not effective, so we complement it with the fan," Oluwa said. "You don't know what can happen when it gets too hot."
The heat was so intense Friday, fans were not merely options for some people, they were necessities.
Malika Beya's air conditioner was not helping her either.
"It's not enough to keep me cool at home," Beya said.
She went to the Salvation Army center in Lawrenceville as well to get out of the heat and pick up a fan. She said it will help.
"A lot, a lot," Beya said.
Temperatures climbed into the 100s, making it dangerous for the elderly and people who can't get out of their homes.
Maj. Todd Hawks, the metro Atlanta area commander for the Salvation Army, said the organization had water and 500 fans for the elderly, the home-bound or just people who need them.
"It would be unbearable to be in their homes in temperatures like today," Hawks said. "If people are too hot, they can come to the Salvation Army to get out of the heat."
The Salvation Army will give fans, water and ice cream to people who need them at the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center at 967 Dewey St. in southwest Atlanta.
The organization will also open cooling centers at their sites at 3500 Sherrydale Lane in Decatur and 3455 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville.
For additional locations and times go to the Salvation Army's website at: www.salvationarmyatlanta.org.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
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