LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — After the hottest week of the year, a cooling center is opening in Lancaster County.
Channel 9’s Tina Terry learned that preparations have been made to get people out of the heat for the rest of the summer.
“This summer we expected it to be hot, but not quite as hot as it’s been,” said Emily Price with United Way Lancaster. “We decided ‘let’s just go ahead and see if we can open one’.”
Price is preparing to open Lancaster County’s first cooling center, which will be inside First Washington Baptist Church. After finding the site, she said it took a lot of work to prepare to open.
“It was a matter of getting security nailed down and making sure all the other things were in place,” Price said.
Price expects things to be in place by Monday. This week, people had to cool off at the Lancaster Public Library.
Julie Pohlheber said she’s grateful to hear relief is on the way for those who need it most.
“They have to be so resourceful, people who are unhoused,” Pohlheber said. “They have to go to the library, or try to keep cool in any public place.
The new cooling center will be open Monday-Friday starting at 1:00 p.m.
VIDEO: ‘Very vulnerable’: Housing advocates provide cooling services for people experiencing homelessness
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
