Hot temperatures are expected to persist throughout the summer, and the City of Scranton is hosting a Beat the Heat supply drive to help keep residents safe during the extreme heat.
“It's been a really hot summer so far," said Mayor Paige Cognetti. "So we're trying to think of creative ways that we can help get supplies to people."
The idea to hold a Beat the Heat Drive came during an Unsheltered Task Force meeting. The city will collect water, sunscreen, electrolyte packets and other heat related items on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Weston Field House, 982 Providence Road, Scranton.
"It's not just folks that are suffering from lack of shelter and adequate shelter, it's an issue that we need to be mindful of for our older adults, for our children, and for workers out there," said Cognetti.
The donations will be given to the city’s social service network and community providers. Recipients include the Catherine McAuley Center, Catholic Social Services, the Crisis Intervention Center, Keystone Mission, NEPA Youth Shelter, the Scranton Vet Center of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, United Neighborhood Centers, and the Women’s Resource Center.
Mark Pellerito from the National Weather Service says it’s hard to be specific about temperatures. Meteorologists look into the past and to the future to predict weather.
"We are continuing to see higher probabilities for above normal temperatures overall," he said.
Pellerito said one of the things they’re expecting is an active tropical storm season.
"Anytime you have a weather pattern coming up from the south or the southeast, that is going to promote both heat and humidity for our area," he said.
The City of Scranton will hold a popup City Hall until 4 p.m. after the Beat the Heat Drive.
The city is also encouraging citizens who would like to request a wellness check for a neighbor dealing with power outages or extreme heat to contact the non-emergency line for the Lackawanna County 911 Center at 570-342-9111.
