Organizations step in to help older New Yorkers beat heat
NEW YORK - Senior community centers turned into cooling centers Tuesday and Wednesday for older New Yorkers trying to escape the heat.
Giant fans flowed over the chatter of lunchtime at the Covello Center for older adults in East Harlem.
"Ice cold water on this kind of hot day, it's pretty good for us," said Young Lee, who is a regular in the ceramics class there.
The Carter Burden Network provides an extensive calendar of programming across the city.
"The best activities, oh my God," emphasized Olga Gines. "We dance like you don't know. We really dance!"
The priority shifts to safety when temperatures reach unbearable levels.
"I walked over here half a block and almost fainted," confessed neighbor Wilfredo Gonzalez. "I've got a bad heart."
When asked why he risked the trip, Gonzalez responded, "Because I gotta eat!"
Breakfast and lunch offerings at the center make up many neighbors' daily diets.
"It's not for the food, not for the breakfast," said Christopher Avila. "It's for the companions we have. We live alone in the house. We don't need to be worried about it. They call us. It's wonderful people, beautiful."
A couple block walk to a community center is not an option for everyone. Some simply stay home. At 99 Fort Washington, older NYCHA tenants look forward to the finish of extensive renovations.
"We feel like brides in our apartments because our apartments are new, and this is how you feel when you're newly wed," said tenant association president Olga Lauriano. "Everything is brand new, right?"
RELATED STORY: Developers complete 1,000 NYCHA apartment renovations
While crews install new energy-efficient windows this week, the Community League of the Heights and the PACT Renaissance Collaborative, which manage the site, make sure those without air conditioning have plenty of water and working fans.
"Unfortunately, during this construction process, we do need to take the ACs out the window until they dry," said CLOTH resident coordinator Bianca Lopez. "It's about a 24-hour process."
They find refuge in the new coffee lounge, which is cool enough to enjoy a hot beverage.
Renovations on all 1,300 units at 99 Fort Washington are expected to be complete later this year.
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