Additional cooling centers, intensified outreach and extended pool hours will help New Yorkers stay safe as temperatures may feel as hot as 112 degrees
New actions build on Monday’s announcement of 21 COOL vans, cooling stations for outdoor workers and expanded protections for workers during extreme heat
Mayor prepares New Yorkers for extreme heat in new PSA released today
As a historic heat wave begins today and continues into the holiday weekend, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today released a new video PSA urging every New Yorker to make a heat plan, check on neighbors and loved ones and take advantage of the resources available across all five boroughs.
The Mayor convened leaders across City government yesterday to announce additional emergency measures to protect New Yorkers. Building on Monday’s unprecedented Heat Emergency Plan, the Mamdani administration is expanding cooling centers, extending outdoor pool hours, increasing outreach to vulnerable New Yorkers and taking additional steps to keep people safe in temperatures that may feel as hot as 112 degrees.
Additional actions to provide New Yorkers relief include:
- Extending hours at Olympic- and intermediate-sized outdoor pools until 8:30 p.m., even later than prior heat wave extensions.
- Opening eight additional City buildings as cooling centers from noon through midnight July 3-5.
- Opening 10 additional public library branches as cooling centers through the holiday weekend.
- Expanding outreach by adding 150 volunteers, bringing the City’s total street outreach workforce to more than 600 people.
- Asking all businesses to set thermostats to 78 degrees and encouraging all New Yorkers to conserve energy during peak demand.
These steps build on Monday’s measures, including:
- Mobilizing 21 Cooling Outreach On-Location (COOL) vans to support New Yorkers in need and perform in-home wellness checks on older adults.
- Opening additional cooling centers and real-time cooling center wayfinding on thousands of LinkNYC kiosks.
- Creating pop-up cooling stations for outdoor workers and large-scale outreach to over 75,000 businesses to ensure workers are safe and protected during the heat.
“I am asking every New Yorker to make a heat plan before the worst of this weather arrives,” said Mayor Mamdani. “The best protection against extreme heat is air conditioning. If you don’t have it at home, know now where you’ll go to stay cool. Check in on your neighbors, especially seniors, and if you see someone outside who appears to be in distress, call 311 so we can get help to them. This administration is using every tool we have to keep New Yorkers safe, but the strongest city is one where neighbors look out for one another.”
“We have deployed every resource this city has, but our most powerful tool isn’t a forecast or a cooling center. It’s a New Yorker,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell. “The neighbor who knocks on the door, the family member who calls to check in, the stranger who stops to help. This holiday week, we are asking every New Yorker to look out for one another so that no one faces this heat alone. Visit nyc.gov/beattheheat or call 311 to find a cooling center near you and get the resources you need to beat the heat.”
Activating Cooling Centers and Cool Options
Today, the City will activate hundreds of cooling centers to provide free, public air-conditioned spaces to New Yorkers. Locations, including accessible and pet-friendly options, can be found at finder.nyc.gov/
In response to the historic, sustained heat and holiday weekend, Mayor Mamdani is converting additional location
- Four Brooklyn Public Library branches: Central Library; Brighton Beach Library; Saratoga Library; Sunset Park Library.
- Three additional New York Public Library branches: Grand Concourse Library in the Bronx; Countee Cullen Library in Manhattan; Port Richmond Library on Staten Island.
- Three Queens Public Library branches: Central Library; Jackson Heights; Far Rockaway.
- Eight additional DCAS facilities: The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, 22 Reade Street and 100 Gold Senior Center in Manhattan; Brooklyn Borough Hall and NYCEM Headquarters in Brooklyn; The Bergen Building in the Bronx; Queens Borough Hall in Queens; and Staten Island Borough Hall on Staten Island.
- Three Neighborhood Health Action Centers.
- The Javits Center.
Mayor Mamdani has also activated more than 2,200 LinkNYC kiosks to display real-time walking directions to the nearest NYC Cooling Center within a 10-minute walk. The initiative builds on the success of last winter’s warming center campaign — the largest public service initiative in LinkNYC’s 10-year history — by adding automated data integration and real-time updates to provide faster, more accurate guidance when New Yorkers need it most.
New Yorkers can find additional relief at outdoor cool options like spray showers by visiting on.nyc.gov/CoolItNYC.
The City’s roughly 50 outdoor pools are free and open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. During the heat emergency, Olympic- and intermediate-sized pools will be open until 8:30 p.m. — a half hour longer than prior heat wave extensions and 1.5 hours later than normal operating days.
Public beaches are free and open daily with lifeguards on duty between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Swimming in restricted areas or when a lifeguard is not on duty is prohibited and very dangerous.
Local firehouses will distribute free spray caps to adults 18 and older to turn fire hydrants into sprinklers.
Deploying COOL Vans & Performing In-Home Wellness Checks for Older Adults
Mayor Mamdani is launching 21 COOL vans to provide New Yorkers with wellness checks; medical care; resources like electrolytes and sunscreen; meals including vegetarian, kosher and halal options; and transport to cooling centers or healthcare facilities. COOL vans are operated by NYC Health + Hospitals and staffed by medical providers who will also be checking in on older adults in their homes to provide them with relief from the heat.
Intensifying Street Outreach
The City will intensify street canvassing and outreach under Code Red from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. during all heat advisory days to connect homeless neighbors to shelter, cooling centers and essential supplies.
Using years of data from outreach from 311 and from the HOPE Count, the Department of Social Services (DSS) has broken the city into zones that are walkable or drivable in a shift. For the historic heat wave, DSS has added an additional 150 volunteers for a total of over 600 outreach workers.
Shelter is available system-wide to anyone experiencing homelessness, and walk-ins are welcome.
Anyone who sees a person experiencing homelessness who may need assistance is encouraged to call 311.
Safeguarding Workers’ Health and Safety
The City is deploying pop-up outdoor cooling stations with water, misting fans and cooling towels for outdoor workers including street vendors, deliveristas and day laborers. The initiative expands last year’s pilot of two pop-up cooling stations to seven through partnerships with community-based organizations.
The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) as well as the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) are contacting more than 75,000 businesses to encourage heat illness plans and remind workers that they can use Protected Time Off for heat-related health issues.
Protecting Energy Grid Reliability
The City is asking every business and every New Yorker to do their part in protecting energy grid reliability by setting their thermostats to 78 degrees and holding off on running major appliances until early morning or late at night. The City has also worked with the Times Square Alliance to request sign operators to lower energy consumption by reducing brightness.
Health and Safety Guidance
New Yorkers are urged to stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity during peak heat hours and seek air-conditioned spaces whenever possible.
Residents should check on vulnerable neighbors — especially older adults, people with disabilities and people with chronic illnesses — and loved ones, recognize the warning signs of heat illness and help others who may be at greater risk.
Call 911 immediately if you or someone you know has hot, dry skin, trouble breathing, rapid heartbeat, confusion, disorientation, dizziness, nausea or vomiting.
Never leave children, adults or pets in cars.
Stay informed by signing up for Notify NYC, the City’s free emergency communications program, by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 and visiting nyc.gov/beattheheat f
“Extreme heat is forecasted for this week, which can lead to severe health impacts both outdoors and indoors,” said DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin. “Hot and humid weather is not just uncomfortable but can be deadly. Using air conditioning is the best way to stay safe during hot weather. We also urge New Yorkers to stay hydrated, check on loved ones and take simple steps to conserve energy so we can help keep power flowing across our city. If you don’t have an air conditioner, please utilize a cooling center.”
“As we prepare for this unprecedented heat emergency, we are deploying a robust on-the-ground operation,” said DSS Commissioner Erin Dalton. “Outreach teams, trained volunteers and clinical staff will canvass high-impact areas to ensure block-by-block coverage and connect at-risk individuals to cooling resources, drop-in centers, shelters and medical care. We are using every tool at our disposal to make sure that no New Yorker is overlooked during this period of dangerous weather.”
“Extreme heat is not just uncomfortable; it can be dangerous and life-threatening, especially for the nearly 1.8 million older adults who call New York City home,” said Department for the Aging Commissioner Dr. Lisa Scott-McKenzie. “Heat-related illnesses and deaths are preventable, but protecting our most vulnerable residents requires preparation and a shared community responsibility. Over the coming days when temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees, we urge older New Yorkers to keep their air conditioning on, stay hydrated and utilize the City’s resources, including the hundreds of cooling centers across the five boroughs, which will be activated to keep you safe, cool and connected.”
“As New York City enters into an unprecedented busy summer, the FDNY is ready to meet the challenges that come with extreme heat and increased activity across the five boroughs,” said Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. “We are asking New Yorkers to do their part to stay safe. Heat-related emergencies can happen quickly, and taking precautions early can make all the difference.”
“People with disabilities face higher risk in extreme heat,” said Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Nisha Agarwal. “It is essential that New Yorkers with disabilities have access to this critical information to stay safe. Make a heat plan — check in with your support networks, talk to your doctor about heat sensitivity, have a backup power plan, keep essential devices charged and stay cool.”
“Temperatures are rising and we are doing our part to help New Yorkers and city employees stay safe while working in the heat,” said DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei. “Our main focus during heat events is providing timely, practical guidance for employees on preventing heat illness, recognizing the warning signs of heat-related emergencies and offering good advice for all New Yorkers — stay hydrated. We will also be opening some of our buildings as cooling centers to aid in efforts to stay cool; visit NYCEM's cooling center page for more information and to find the closest center near you.”
“We urge all New Yorkers to take steps to prepare for extreme heat. NYC Parks provides a variety of ways to help New Yorkers cool off in high temperatures — our free public beaches and outdoor pools are open every day this summer, and New Yorkers can use the Cool It! NYC map on our website to locate drinking fountains and spray showers around the city, as well as places to stay in the shade,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura. “Remember, when visiting our beaches, the safest choice you can make is to only swim where and when lifeguards are on duty and obey all riptide warnings.”
“As we experience more frequent heat waves, ensuring access to safe and affordable cooling options are some of the most effective ways to protect New Yorkers whether they live, work or play,” said NYC Chief Climate Officer Louise Yeung. “From safer homes and cooler neighborhoods to stronger worker protections, we are building a more resilient city for all.”
“With extreme heat in the forecast, drinking NYC’s great‑tasting tap water is the best way to safely stay hydrated,” said DEP Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia. “I also want to remind New Yorkers that illegally opening fire hydrants is dangerous and wastes more than 1,000 gallons of water per minute, reducing pressure needed for homes, businesses and firefighters responding to emergencies. Please request a City‑approved spray cap from your local firehouse and report any open hydrants to 311 — it’s the easiest way to preserve our water supply and keep communities cool.”
“While extreme heat affects all New Yorkers, members of the construction industry who regularly perform strenuous work outdoors are particularly vulnerable,” said Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. “The heat advisory issued by the Department to contractors, site safety professionals and other industry stakeholders is intended to underscore our shared responsibility to protect workers from the dangers of prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures. At a minimum, all job sites should implement OSHA’s guidelines to prevent heat-related illnesses and employers can look for additional information from our sister agencies NYCEM or DOHMH to help strengthen their existing protocols. This advisory is one component of the Administration’s coordinated, multi-agency response to extreme heat, and we urge all New Yorkers to look out for one another throughout the duration of this weather event.”
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