DALLAS — Dallas-Fort Worth experienced its first 100-degree day of the year Sunday, and cities are responding by opening up cooling centers to help people stuck outside get out of the heat.
The resource could be lifesaving, heat is the No. 1 weather-related cause of death, and reported heat-related deaths are on the rise.
Reliant Energy is partnering with the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth to open cooling centers and distribute free portable AC coolers and AC window units while supplies last. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements. To learn more about Fort Worth's criteria, visit the application page. In Dallas, applicants should contact the individual distribution sites, according to a release from the city of Dallas.
"To help Fort Worth residents stay cool and safe in their own homes, Reliant has also donated nearly 100 cooling devices, including window AC units and evaporative cooling fans, for those who need it most," a press release from Reliant reads.
In Dallas, two cooling centers and AC distribution sites opened June 11:
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center, 2922 MLK, Jr. Blvd, Dallas
- West Dallas Multipurpose Center, 2828 Fish Trap Rd, Dallas
For a full list of Dallas cooling centers, go here.
In Fort Worth, four cooling centers with AC distribution will be open daily from 3 to 6 p.m.:
- Como Community Center, 4660 Horne St, Fort Worth
- Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 5565 Truman Dr, Fort Worth
- Northside Community Center, 1100 NW 18th St, Fort Worth
- Worth Heights Community Center, 3551 New York Ave, Fort Worth
All of the cooling centers will have snacks and water available.
The United Way of Tarrant County also offers free AC units and applications are open.
