Only two-thirds of the indoor cooling centers in Chicago were open at least part of the day every day during the three-day heat wave last week.

Part of the reason that 40 Alders called for a real extreme weather plan last year is that the 250 is mostly for show. Read OEMC’s map closely and you’ll find that tomorrow morning only 40 city buildings relabeled as “cooling centers” will be open, most of which are police station lobbies.

Extreme heat is the number one weather related cause of death. It's a silent killer for older adults, in certain diseases, socially isolated without AC, and more. Help Chicago save lives and develop heat policies and programs by taking this survey: northwestern.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

A federal program to protect US cities against extreme heat has just evaporated

I have 150+ 311 shelter requests from February 16th with the majority closed between a week and a month later when someone finally got to their case. This is the *ONLY* way to get into a shelter in Chicago drive.google.com/file/d/1lNgf...

Even as we celebrate the arrival of spring, we must mourn the preventable cost of the winter. According to Cook County, 12 people died of accidental cold exposure this winter, with another 25 having died where the cold was implicated as secondary cause. As Loren Taylor writes, we can do better.

Not good for extreme weather planning

On Monday, we wrote a letter each of the 40 Alders who in September had called for better cold weather planning in Chicago…

Worth repeating with another brutally cold night ahead of us.

Parks and libraries are not open overnight. That’s why we list the ones that are. It’s information people can choose to act on.

Love us some humor. Anyway, you’re commenting on a thread we created to track and publicize open and available 24/7 warming spaces in Chicago, right now, this week, when it’s 3 degrees outside. You’re right that we need more options that people would choose over the CTA or remaining outdoors.

We invite the OEMC and Mayor Johnson to initiate and lead on a public and transparent extreme weather planning process in 2025. It’s long past time.

It’s snowing right now in Chicago, and as frigid temperatures move in, let’s take a look at what will be open to help folks stay warm 🧵

From coalition member The People’s Response Network.

Over at Extreme Weather Planners Chicago, we do our best to track what warming spaces will actually be available to Chicagoans during cold snaps, like the one coming in the next few days.

Additional signatories. Add your name using the link in our bio!

Check out our press release from this morning. Chicagoans need action now!