“This is the hottest it’s been in a minute, a long time,” said one resident.
The summer sun is turning up the heat, bringing temperatures that feel like above 110 degrees.
“This is the longest it’s ever been hot. Normally, it’ll be hot some days, where it’s no wind, it’s even hot at night,” said one resident.
With an extreme heat warning in effect, the city of New Orleans opened cooling centers, giving residents a place to chill out.
“We have this one facility available for folks that might not have an opportunity to get cool during the nighttime,” said Greg Doolittle.
The Rosenwald Recreation Center is open overnight, and neighbors filled the facility to escape the heat.
“If your body doesn’t have a chance to cool at night and repair from the heat of the day, you can get into critical health situations, especially for some of our vulnerable neighbors,” said Doolittle.
The overnight cooling center isn’t just a place to cool down; people will also enjoy a warm meal from Second Harvest Food Bank.
“People who may not be eating tonight otherwise are going to be enjoying a really good meal,” said John Sillars.
The Second Harvest Food Bank stepped in to help, delivering hundreds of meals over a two-day period, including breakfast and dinner.
“We’re going to step up and help out because food insecurity is really affecting all of south Louisiana,” said Sillars.
READ MORE:People fill overnight cooling center amid extreme heat warning
