Amid 'heat dome,' cooling centers, drinkable water become scarce in Newark, Licking County

As the weekend approaches, a heat dome continues to torment those working outdoors and individuals without homes in Licking County. The situation is exacerbated by a lack of cooling centers and a scarcity of drinkable water.

A cooling center at Trinity Lutheran on West Main Street was open to the public on Tuesday and Thursday. However, it is not accepting guests Friday or Saturday, despite forecasted highs of 93 and 94 degrees.

"There is no place to get cool and no water," said Trish Perry, co-founder of the Newark Homeless Outreach. "The water fountains don't work, and neither do most of the nearly all of the filling stations."

As of Friday afternoon, only one water bottle filling station was open, on the west side of the courthouse square.

The water bottle filling station across from the Newark Homeless Outreach and catty-corner from Salvation Army has been out of order since last summer.

"To my knowledge, there's nothing. No one is open to provide cooling," said Nancy Welu, volunteer at the Homeless Outreach.

The Newark Homeless Outreach, on the east end, is distributing water, Gatorade and fruit from 1-3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and will maintain its regular hours, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

"The community has been just amazing," Welu said of various donations the Outreach received over the course of the heat wave.

Nearby localities have opened facilities to provide refuge. Johnstown opened its council chambers, while Perry County has made various community centers available for residents.

jewolf@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Newark, Licking County lacking cooling centers, drinkable water