Bringing the heat: “Feels-like” temps may approach 100

COLUMBUS – Central Ohio is facing some of the hottest weather of the summer with temperatures in the 90s for the next several days and heat indices near 100 degrees.

Students in 20 buildings in the state’s largest school district will begin their school year remotely, thanks to the heat and humidity.

The first day of classes in the Columbus City Schools is Thursday but the district announced Tuesday that students in several buildings would stay home.

District officials say those buildings do not have air-conditioning or are in the process of getting systems installed or repaired and students are expected to attend classes in person starting Monday.

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Lifecare Alliance, the organization that operates Meals on Wheels in Franklin and several other central Ohio counties continues to collect fans to be donated to people who either don’t have air-conditioning or can’t afford to run it.

The need for the fans has been exacerbated by COVID-19, which creates breathing problems in patients and makes existing difficulties worse.

“A Fan makes a huge difference, it can lower the temperature of a room by as much as 10 degrees, doctors say, and it really is the difference between maybe just getting through a tough summer day and going to the hospital, or even death,” Chuck Gehring, president and CEO of Lifecare Alliance said.

Anyone can buy a box fan and donate it by dropping it off at any fire station (Franklin, Madison, Marion, Champaign and Logan counties.

Anyone in need of a fan can call 614-437-2870.

Gehring says the organization has collected 2,000 to 4,000 fans annually during its campaign.

Heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, are the leading weather-related cause of death in the U.S. and Gehring says central Ohio has not recorded a heat-related death for the past 10 years.