By WILLIAM CLARK
With temperatures in the 90s for more than a week, area officials urged residents to take precautions against heat related illnesses.
Neptune officials advised residents through social media platforms of ways they could stay safe from the excessive heat.
The Asbury Park Fire Department detailed some methods that could help keep the house cool to life-saving tips including covering windows in direct sunlight and staying hydrated by drinking water.
Asbury Park also opened the Senior Center and Transportation Center as cooling centers.
Neptune Mayor Nicholas Williams said that the township was preparing to help people by operating cooling centers at the library and Senior Center during business hours.
Ocean Township Director of Emergency Management Tom Reu said that although no issues had come up, the township was continuously monitoring in case the need for cooling centers came up due to a power outage. Reu said the West Park Recreation Center on West Park Avenue could be up and running within a half an hour.
Reu referenced the town’s experience with Tropical Storm Isaias in August of 2022.
“We did open a cooling center during Isasis when we had multiple power outages and trees down,” Reu said. “That storm was more of a power thing, not quite as hot as this time.”