Mayor Zohran Mamdani has activated the city's heat emergency plan ahead of a historic heat wave that could make this the hottest July 4 since 2010.
Hundreds of cooling centers will open across the city beginning Wednesday, while 15 new Cooling Outreach On-Location, or COOL, vans and hundreds of outreach workers will fan out across the five boroughs as the heat index is forecast to reach as high as 112 degrees.
"These are extremely dangerous conditions, and they will affect every part of our city," Mamdani said Tuesday.
Close to 500 New Yorkers die from heat-related causes each year, according to the city's health department. The dangerous heat arrives as the city welcomes visitors for FIFA Club World Cup matches and Fourth of July festivities.
Where to cool off
City officials said hundreds of cooling centers will be available across the five boroughs as part of the emergency heat plan, including 280 operated by NYC Aging on weekdays and 210 on the weekend.
Olympic- and intermediate-sized outdoor pools will stay open until 8 p.m. through Saturday, while public beaches will remain open with lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More than a dozen cooling outreach vans will offer medical care, transportation to cooling centers, water, electrolytes and vegetarian, kosher and halal meals. More than 2,200 LinkNYC kiosks will display real-time directions to the nearest cooling center within a 10-minute walk.
Older New Yorkers and those with chronic illnesses will also receive targeted alerts from the city’s warning system throughout the heat wave, according to Mamdani.
Why this heat is dangerous
High temperatures can lead to heat stroke and worsen heart, lung and kidney conditions, according to Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin, who urged New Yorkers to watch for hot and dry skin, confusion, nausea and loss of consciousness.
“By the time someone reaches me in the emergency room, we are often already behind,” Martin said. “That’s why we are here today to intervene long before that happens.”
The city's homeless services department will deploy hundreds of outreach workers across the city to offer transportation to cooling centers and check on homeless people.
How to prepare
Mamdani urged New Yorkers to make a heat plan, including staying indoors and adjusting work and childcare schedules to stay safe during the heat wave.
The mayor said the city government will also contact 75,000 licensees to reiterate labor laws, including protected time off for heat-related health issues.
Mamdani referenced an executive order he issued last week directing city agencies to develop workplace heat safety guidelines for people working outdoors, including street vendors and construction workers.
He also said that anyone 18 or older can obtain a city-approved fire hydrant spray cap for free from a local firehouse.
"The single most important thing you can do in these temperatures is to stay indoors with air conditioning. If you can avoid going outside during the hottest hours of the day, please do so," Mamdani said.
The preparations mirror two periods of extreme cold earlier this year, when more than two dozen people died from exposure or cold-related causes.
Last year, the health department reported 19 people died during a record-breaking June heat wave.
