SAN ANGELO, Texas — With temperatures climbing above 100 degrees this summer, St. Paul Presbyterian Church in San Angelo decided to open its doors to those who need cool air in the community.
St. Paul is offering people a cooldown area in the church's gym during weeks where the weather is higher than 100 degrees.
Church elder Dowlan Smith said this is the second week of offering the area to anyone who needs it.
"We're just trying to listen to people and find out how we can help. It can be very dangerous physically to get overheated. And it's also a way to show that we care for each other. And we have different organizations, different groups that promote each other and work with each other and try to cover all the areas that people have,” Smith said.
In addition to cold air, St. Paul staff provides food, water and movies for people looking for a quick cool down.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports more than 1,300 deaths per year in the United states are caused by extreme heat.
The cooling center will be open from noon to 7 p.m. for the remainder of this week at 11 N. Park St.