EMA opens cooling centers across Marshall County - WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

With temperatures over 100, Emergency Management Agency officials have opened up cooling centers across Marshall County.

EMA officials said they're especially worried about the young and the elderly with these temperatures, so they're supplying anyone with a cool place to go if they need one.

The Guntersville Senior Center is one of about a dozen locations that opened Friday as a cooling center.

EMA director Anita McBurnett said they're not shelters but just temporary places people can go to get out of the heat.

McBurnett said from early- to mid-afternoon the heat index will rise well over 100 and can be very dangerous.

She said as temperatures stay very high, there's always the risk of residential air conditioners and fans will go out.

At that point she said they may consider opening shelters down the road if the need exists.

For now, it's just a temporary help.

"In these types of extreme heating conditions and for as many days as we've had them, people can become dehydrated real quickly. They may have other medical situations that might impact and impound their problem and make it worse, so we're concerned about those folks," McBurnett said.

Senior Center officials said due to construction, they will move their cooling center next door to the Guntersville Rec Center.

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