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Greenwich Worries About Outages in Heat Wave

GREENWICH, Conn. — With dangerous heat looming, Greenwich is opening cooling centers townwide Thursday to help overheated residents. Dan Warzoha, Greenwich’s emergency management director, said the town is also concerned about power outages over the next few days.

“A heat wave of this proportion hasn’t happened in over a year. Power is a concern, but in a straight heat wave without thunderstorms, the distribution system usually holds up for the first few days, unless there’s a cable failure,” he said. “We’re more concerned what’s going to be happening Friday or Saturday.”

A high of 92 is forecast for Thursday, but high humidity will make it feel as hot as 101, the National Weather Service says. Friday may be even hotter, and there is a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. Temperatures could hit the low 90s again Saturday before falling back into the mid-80s on Sunday. 

High heat, thunderstorms and a series of unfortunate electrical events in June left more than 4,500 residents without power. Connecticut Light & Power vowed to improve service reliability, including upgrading infrastructure.

Warzoha said he hopes demand for power will diminish at the end of the week because businesses are powering down, schools are not in session and residents are going away on vacation. “How underground and aerial cables will handle the heat is another matter, and it’s something we’re going to be looking into,” he said. The Office of Emergency Management will continue to monitor and provide updates on the developing heat wave.

The following locations will be available as cooling centers during routine business hours only through Sunday, July 24, when the heat is expected to break: • Greenwich Senior Center, 299 Greenwich Ave., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Greenwich Main Library, 101 W. Putnam Ave., Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. • Cos Cob Branch Library, 5 Sinawoy Road (behind the Cos Cob Firehouse), Monday, noon to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Closed Sunday. • Byram Schubert Library, Mead Avenue, Monday through Thursday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Friday and Sunday. • Perrot Memorial Library, 90 Sound Beach Ave., Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

• Bendhiem Western Greenwich Civic Center, 449 Pemberwick Road, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Lobby of the Greenwich Public Safety Complex will be open 24/7 and the Community Room will be available 24/7 for overflow and emergency use.

Are you worried about power outages? How are you staying cool in the heat? Comment below or send responses to ahelhoski@thedailygreenwich.com.

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