Lack of preparation for extreme heat in Modesto was inexcusable

It’s disheartening that Modesto officials did not finalize plans for a cooling center on Sunday, knowing it was expected to be 105 degrees, until late Friday afternoon — well after the much-publicized heat wave began.

In a Friday news report and separate editorial, The Modesto Bee took to task officials with City Hall and with Stanislaus County, whose Office of Emergency Services posted an official list of cooling zones. None was shown for Sunday in Modesto, by far the county’s largest city, or in the cities of Ceres, Riverbank, Waterford, Patterson and Newman as well as towns like Salida, Empire, Keyes and Denair.

Only Oakdale, Patterson, Hughson and Turlock had responded to media saturated with extreme heat warnings, by designating cooling centers in those cities.

That was not acceptable.

Especially not in Modesto, a city of 222,000 with multiple large, air-conditioned public venues to remain locked Sunday while people swelter and suffer, particularly those who are unhoused or of little means.

It’s not like this heat wave sneaked up on us. You can’t turn on the TV, listen to the radio or open a newspaper without myriad warnings of the danger of sustained high temperatures throughout the Valley and state.

Fortunately, Modesto and county officials rethought the sad lack of preparation and came up with a solution. The Modesto library at 1500 I St., a place well-known to the less advantaged, would provide Sunday respite after all, authorities said Friday evening.

Kudos to Stanislaus officials for arranging for many libraries throughout the county to be open Monday, when they normally would be closed to observe Labor Day. That includes the Modesto branch.

You wouldn’t check out a book Sunday or Monday, as no library staff will be on hand. A place made to showcase books is not ideal to provide services for suffering people. But at least it’s something.

One wonders if officials had forgotten lessons learned from the July 2006 heat wave that killed 13 people here before the county opened its first cooling zone (10 more died later, for a total of 23). The first 13 died in three days, from a Saturday through a Monday, when the thermometer read 111 each day.

It isn’t supposed to get that hot this time. But the forecast predicts a run of about 10 straight days of 100-degree-plus heat. That’s enough to kill, and we’re already a few days into it.

Hopefully our leaders will be better prepared for the next crisis.

This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 4:45 PM.