By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
With excessive heat warnings in effect, many area facilities are offering their spaces as cooling centers for those looking for relief.
The lobby of the Princeton Township Police Department, located at 1 Valley Road, has been opened to the public through Friday afternoon. Water will be provided.
Additional Princeton cooling sites are located the Princeton Senior Resource Center’s Suzanne Patterson Center and Spruce Circle.
In Plainsboro, a cooling station will be available at the Princeton Windrows at 2000 Windrow Drive, which is off College Road West. The cooling station will be located in the pub. More information is available by calling 609-514-0001.
Montgomery Township residents can go to the Otto Kaufman Community Center at 356 Skillman Road in Skillman from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to escape the heat. Residents can call (609) 466-3023 for more information.
Residents should drink water regularly even if they are not thirsty, try to stay indoors, preferably in an air-conditioned space, and wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing when going outdoors. Residents are also urged to check up on elderly relatives, friends and neighbors, and people with disabilities, who may need assistance keeping cool, said Brian Hughes, Mercer County Executive.
Mercer County also offers designated summer cooling sites, including all municipal senior centers, neighborhood community centers and the nine Mercer County Library System Branches.
The following Mercer County library branches are cooling sites: Ewing, Hickory Corner, Hightstown, Hollowbrook, Hopewell, Lawrence, Robbinsville, Twin Rivers and West Windsor.
The following municipal senior centers are additional cooling sites throughout Mercer County: Lawrence Township, Hamilton, Ewing, Hopewell Valley, Jennye Stubblefield, Monsignor Lipinski, Reading, Sam Naples and Robbinsville Township.
There are several heat related illness that should be looked out for, according to a West Windsor Health Department advisory.
Heat stroke or “sunstroke” occurs when the body can’t rid itself of excess heat, and there is a sudden rise in body temperature. Symptoms can appear rapidly: look for very hot and dry skin (no sweat), dizziness, nausea, confusion and unconsciousness. Lower the body temperature as quickly as possible. Officials urge anyone with these symptoms to seek immediate medical attention, as heat stroke can be fatal if not treated.
Heat exhaustion is a mild form of shock from excess exposure to heat. Symptoms include pale, clammy skin with profuse sweating, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and sometimes abdominal cramping. Body temperature remains close to normal.
Pets are also very vulnerable to excessive heat. Animals should never be left unattended in a vehicle, even with the windows down or for short periods of time, and pets should be provided with plenty of fresh water to drink, and a shaded or sheltered area.

