{"id":1058720,"date":"2026-06-30T02:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T02:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1058720\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T02:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T02:20:15","slug":"dangerous-heat-heads-to-birmingham-as-city-leaders-prepare-to-open-about-a-dozen-cooling-stations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1058720\/","title":{"rendered":"Dangerous heat heads to Birmingham as city leaders prepare to open about a dozen cooling stations"},"content":{"rendered":"

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC<\/a>) – The City of Birmingham will open almost a dozen cooling stations across the city when the heat index reaches 95 degrees or higher<\/b><\/a>, giving residents a place to cool down and reduce the risk of heat-related illness as dangerous temperatures move into central Alabama this week. <\/p>\n

City leaders said the stations will provide an air-conditioned space and water for anyone in need. The city is working with community organizations, libraries, recreation centers, and service providers to operate the sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing is required. Just showing up to one of the stations during the designated hours. We are not verifying any residency or anything like that. We just want our neighbors to be safe,\u201d said Alanah Melton, Birmingham\u2019s Director of Unhoused Strategies.<\/p>\n

Melton explained the effort focuses on people most vulnerable to extreme heat, including older adults, people experiencing homelessness, families without reliable air conditioning, and anyone who needs a safe place to cool off.<\/p>\n

She is urging residents to plan to stay close to a cooling site if they expect to be outdoors, especially for prolonged periods of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important for people to know there is no barrier to participating in these cooling stations,\u201d she said. \u201cFolks that are just outside and active, maybe consider doing your activities close to where there is a cooling station, so in case you do find yourself overheated or dehydrated, you have somewhere you can get to fairly quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooling stations include the Birmingham Public Library Central Branch and branches at Five Points West, North Birmingham, Southside, and Woodlawn. Other locations include Harrison Recreation Center, the city\u2019s fitness center, Faith Chapel Care Center, Firehouse Ministries, One Roof and Pathways.<\/p>\n

City leaders also asked residents to check on neighbors, especially seniors and people who may not have air conditioning, and to watch for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow more than ever, our elderly \u2014 those experiencing homelessness \u2014 check on someone else to make sure they have what they need as well,\u201d Melton said.<\/p>\n

City officials also encouraged churches and community centers interested in serving as cooling stations to contact the city about volunteering space or support.<\/p>\n

To learn more about locations or ways to help, click or tap here<\/b><\/a> or follow the city\u2019s social media channels for updates during heat events. <\/p>\n

Get news alerts in the Apple App Store<\/a> and Google Play Store<\/a> or subscribe to our email newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 WBRC. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The City of Birmingham will open almost a dozen cooling stations across the city…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1058721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7820],"tags":[6304,290683,855,290684,748,290682,290679,290680,393,4884,290681,1529,39287,12,16,290685,15,6507,39286],"class_list":["post-1058720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-birmingham","tag-alabama","tag-alanah-melton","tag-birmingham","tag-birmingham-city-leaders","tag-britain","tag-central-alabama","tag-cooling-stations","tag-dangerous-heat","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-head-index","tag-hydration","tag-myfoxal","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-unhoused-strategies","tag-united-kingdom","tag-water","tag-wbrc"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116836671564131841","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1058720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1058720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1058720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1058721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1058720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1058720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1058720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}