Amid Heat Wave, Valley Residents Find Ways To Cool Off

THE VALLEY – Derby resident John Norris hadn’t been outside for more than ten minutes. And, although it wasn’t yet noon, his face was already drenched in sweat.

“This is probably the hottest summer we’ve had,” Norris, who grew up in Norwalk, said as he walked up Elizabeth Street. ​“I mean, I’ve probably been in something hotter than this before, but I don’t know what it is.”

The temperature was nearly 90 degrees as Norris spoke, with humidity making it feel even hotter. Tuesday was the third day of a statewide extreme heat protocol – the second such protocol in the last week – and staying cool while outside was anything but easy.

A few blocks away, at the intersection of Main and Water Streets, construction worker Ahmed Ibrahim was hard at work on the Route 34 widening project. He’d been at work since 7 a.m., he said, lifting his hard hat to reveal hair matted down by sweat.

“No matter what you do, if you’re on-site, the heat is killing you,” Ibrahim said.

The construction worker’s best friend on a hazy summer day with no tree cover? Water, and plenty of it. 

“Most important thing, you drink a lot of water,” he said. ​“That’s the thing about working in construction, it’s not easy.”

One town over, Derby resident Kimberly Gordillo and her family found some relief at Ansonia’s Splash Pad at Nolan Field. Gordillo’s family was gathered around a shaded picnic table, where the temperatures were much more bearable.

“Sometimes we go to the pool up in Monroe and we go swimming there, and sometimes we go to the beach,” she said. It was her second time at the splash pad since it opened for the season on June 15.

Her daughter, Isabella, was also hanging out near the picnic table, along with relatives Carlos, Arianna, and Gianna. The kids posed for a picture before returning to the splash pad.

Longtime Ansonia residents Ellen and Lou Schwartz, who have no air conditioning in their home, have established their own routine for beating the heat. In the mornings, they come to the Ansonia Senior Center and hang out until it closes. Then, it’s down to the American Legion Lodge in Shelton for a while before returning home.

“It’s murder,” Lou said of the heat. ​“Especially at night, when I’m trying to sleep – toss and turn.”

“You gotta do something,” Ellen added. ​“I tell people, you can’t hang out in the house all day.”

June 2024 was the hottest June on record globally, according to a Reuters article, and also large swathes of Connecticut, according to CT Insider. This month looks poised to become the hottest July on record, with Governor Ned Lamont activating the state’s extreme heat protocol twice in the last week. 

According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the following tips can help you stay cool in the heat:

• Drink lots of water. If exercising in the heat, shoot for two to four glasses of cool fluids per hour (if your fluid intake is restricted, ask your doctor how much to drink).

• Replenish salt and minerals in your body. Heavy sweat removes salt; you can get it back with cool fluids, as well as sports drinks (if on a low-salt diet, consult your doctor).

• Wear sunscreen! Apply SPF 15 or higher sunscreen 30 minutes before going out. Reapply according to package directions.

• Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, and consider wearing a wide hat and sunglasses. Sunburns, in addition to being painful, lower your body’s ability to cool itself and cause it to lose fluids.

• Never leave children or pets in cars. Even with cracked windows, the inside of a car can heat up as much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit within 10 minutes. Heatstroke can set in quickly, placing children and pets at serious risk of death.

Click here for tips on what to do if you or someone around you begins to feel ill. If someone is exhibiting symptoms of heat stroke, call 911 or get the victim to the hospital immediately.

Where To Cool Off

The Ansonia senior center, located on 65 Main St. below the police station, is one of several Valley cooling centers where anyone can stop by to cool off. Senior Center Director Christine Sonsini said that the site hadn’t received much traffic, but that anyone can stop in between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Public libraries also offer an air-conditioned break from the heat. In Derby, the Derby Public Library is on 313 Elizabeth St., and Derby Neck Library is on 307 Hawthorne Ave.

In Ansonia, the Ansonia Library is on 53 S. Cliff Ave, and in Seymour, the Seymour Public Library is on 46 Church St. Check the linked pages for hours.

For kids, Ansonia’s splash pad at Nolan Field is in its second year of operation. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The splash pad is open until October 1.

Seymour’s community center on 20 Pine St. is also open as a cooling center from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday.

For questions, or for help finding cooling centers, call 2 – 1‑1 or go to 211ct.org.