(WXMI) — Ottawa County's Emergency Management team has opened cooling centers in the area as the heat wave continues in West Michigan.
Multiple facilities in Holland, including Community Action House and Gateway Mission, are opening their doors to neighbors in the area as cooling centers.
"If there's anybody unsheltered, we want them to come inside. We don't want them to be outside in this terribly hot weather, and we just want a place that offers safety and coolness. And a place where they can rest. And ultimately, we would like to get them off the street," Scott Klingberg said.
Klingberg is the Director of Ministry Operations at Gateway Mission, which has been a community resource for over 100 years, allowing people to stay overnight in an air-conditioned space to beat the heat.
"I can't imagine having to stay outside overnight in this heat when the low gets down to 80 degrees, but they have an opportunity to come here and a safe place," Klingberg said.
Community Action House has opened a space inside its income-based grocery store to help those in need. They serve over 1,500 households a week — volunteers at Community Action House help to keep its doors open to the public.
"As a community, we have to help everybody, and when we are having this extreme heat, we can let anybody come in and just find a place to be away from the key and find some comfort," Marcia Ditto said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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