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Another scorcher throughout the Tri-State

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

(New York - WABC, July 10, 2007) (WABC) -- Hot weather is a major concern again. The summer heat proved too much for an elderly man in Elmont, Long Island. He was treated for heat exhaustion yesterday, a common problem for anyone not drinking enough fluids.

Despite heavy use of air conditioners, New York City's power grid seems to be holding up.

Airport Delays

The FAA has placed a weather-related ground hold on outbound flights from all New York City airports to Philadelphia and the Washington, D.C. area.

Ground stops also in effect at D.C.-area aiports, including BWI outside Baltimore, and at Philadelphia International and Logan in Boston going to New York City, D.C. and Boston.

Severe weather in the form of thunderstorms is moving east through eastern Pennsylvania and thunderstorm activity is building to the southwest of JFK, affecting operations now. Some aircraft are landing and taking off for other destinations outside the northeast. There are some thunderstorms building to the west of Cleveland, which will, over time, affect the FAA's availability to reroute traffic for flights to the west.

In addition, there are pockets of thunderstorms in the south which will affect the ability to reroute traffic headed to and from the south. Right now, ground stops are affecting the ability of local controllers to get flights out. Until that situation corrects itself, there will likely be extensive delays through the evening hours. When the situation will clear is unknown.

Travelers are advised to call your airline before departing the for the airports to check the status of flights.

Current delays are as follows:

JFK: 1 hour, 45 minutes on departures, 2 hours on arrivals

LaGuardia: 90 minutes on departures, more than 1 hour on arrivals

Newark: 2 hours on departures, 2 hours, 30 minues on arrivals

Staying Cool

No matter where you are, beating the heat is the order of the day.

On Long Island, Con Edison workers and other outside employees don't have much of a choice in avoiding the heat. But taking breaks and drinking plenty of fluids will help.

So it's hot. We all know that.

But what can residents do to keep cool?

Eyewitness News reporter Carolina Tarazona has details from the pool in Central Park.

We are most definitely not doing all we can to keep cool in this type of weather. But the kids we're seeing at the pool clearly know what they are doing. They're having a blast, and for them, 90-degree weather is a piece of cake.

It's that hot, and water is a must. Whether your drinking it, swimming in it or dousing yourself in it, you have to do whatever it takes to stay cool.

It's important to slather on the sunscreen to avoid getting burnt.

Many parents brought their children to the public pools in the city to cool off, swim and forget the sun, even if it's just for a short time.

But not everyone is having an easy time escaping the heat.

New Jersey reporter Toni Yates continues our team coverage from Jersey City.

There's something about walking down the street on a hot day and seeing water dripping from an air conditioner. It means it is decidedly colder inside. We saw one outside a senior center, where lawmakers are hoping the elderly will turn to to stay cool.

Jersey City has several senior cooling centers.

"They can come in and they can stay as long as they want," senior center director Betty Pellagatti said. "We have television, they play cards in the back, we have a pool table. The guys hang out here all day."

The senior center at 28 Paterson Street is expecting a shipment of bottled water later today. In the meantime, the air conditioners and fans are all on. But Pellagatti said she is concerned about some of her seniors whose shuttles couldn't get them to the center today.

"Most of them do have air conditioning, but we do have some that don't," she said.

And that's why residents are urged to check on their neighbors on scorching days like today, especially if you know they do not have air conditioning.

Information on Cooling Centers & Keeping Cool:

There are several cooling centers in Newark and five other newly renovated recreation centers. Residents can seek shelter at the following locations:

Baxter Senior Center, 25 Summit Street

Bethany Senior Center, 275 W. Market Street

Friendly Senior Center, 89 Lincoln Street, Box 2H

Grace West Senior Center, 301 Irvine Turner Boulevard

Ironbound Senior Center, 138 Clifford Street

Nellie Grier Senior Center, 98-104 Maple Avenue

North Newark Senior Center, 664 Broadway

South Ward Senior Center, 731 Clinton Avenue

East Orange Cooling Centers:

East Orange Public Library (21 South Arlington Avenue)

Office of Emergency Management (402 Springdale Avenue)

Senior Citizens Division (7 Glenwood)

For information on Westchester pool hours, call the parks department at (914) 864-PARK or log on to Westchestergov.com/parks

Cooling centers have also been opened in all five boroughs of New York City. Many senior and community centers serve as cooling centers. New Yorkers can call 311 or log on to NYC.gov/oem to find the nearest cooling center.

Cooling centers in Hudson county:

Bayonne: All residents are invited to the three senior citizen centers: 16 West Fourth Street, 597 Broadway (between 27th and 28th Streets) and 329 Avenue B (near 56th Street). The centers are open today and tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Union City: All residents are invited to the Bruce Walter Recreation Center at Fifth and West streets, the Ronald Dario Swimming Complex at 47th Street and Palisade Avenue, and the Senior Citizens Building at 3700 Palisade Ave. today and tomorrow from 7 a.m. to midnight.

Kearny: The Kearny Health Department at 645 Kearny Ave. will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

North Bergen: Seniors are invited to the Senior Citizens Nutrition Center at 1445 45th Street, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m; and the senior building at 61st Street and Grand Avenue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Jersey City: Seniors are invited to the two senior centers, 28 Paterson Street and 335 Bergen Avenue from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Con Edison officials say they confident it can handle all the demands. Since the blackout last year, Con Ed has made improvements in the Long Island City network. They include two high-voltage feeders, 120 network transformers and 25 miles of secondary underground cables. They also inspected 6,000 electrical structures.

Con Ed also opened a large substation complex in the Bronx. The company says its command center is open and it will respond promptly to any problems.

Richard Weltor can only hope the improvements make a difference.

"Maybe it going to be better," he said. "I hope it's going to be better."

ConEd is saying if there is a problem, they want to know about it. Either call the ConEd hotline at 1-800-752-6633 (1-800-75-CONED) or contact them via ConEd.com.

Councilman Eric Gioia is encouraging residents to stock water and food, including a three-day supply of non-perishables. He also recommends having a battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries.

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