Richmond County has opened eight cooling centers to help residents escape the dangerous heat wave sweeping across Georgia today.
🌡️ Why It Matters: With heat index values expected to reach up to 109 degrees, these cooling centers provide a lifesaving option for people without air conditioning or those most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.
What is the Heat Index?: The heat index refers to what the temperature feels like when the air temperature is combined with relative humidity. The thermometer in your car may report 90 degree temperatures, but the humidity means that to your body, it will feel like it is over 100 degrees. The heat index is sometimes called the “apparent temperature.”
❄️ Where To Find Relief: Richmond County’s cooling centers are spread throughout Augusta and Hephzibah, with varying hours:
- Carrie J. Mays Center: 1014 11th Ave, Augusta (10:30AM-7:00PM)
- Bernie Ward Center: 1941 Lumpkin Rd, Augusta (hours not specified)
- Blythe Center: 3129 HWY 88, Blythe (9:30AM-6:00PM)
- Henry H. Brigham Center: 2463 Golden Camp Rd, Augusta (11:00AM-8:00PM)
- May Park: 622 4th Street, Augusta (9:30AM-8:00PM)
- McBean Center: 1155 Hephzibah/McBean Rd, Hephzibah (8:30AM-6:00PM)
- Sand Hills Center: 2540 Wheeler Rd, Augusta (9:00AM-5:00PM)
- Warren Road Center: 300 Warren Rd, Augusta (10:00AM-7:00PM)
🚨 Who’s At Risk: The elderly, young children, people with certain medical conditions, and those without access to air conditioning face the highest danger during extreme heat events.
🚰 Stay Safe: Health officials recommend drinking plenty of water, limiting outdoor activities during peak heat hours, and checking on vulnerable neighbors and family members.
🏠 Beyond Cooling Centers: Columbia County residents can visit Bessie Thomas Community Center at 5913 Euchee Creek Dr. in Grovetown (7am-1:30pm, Monday-Friday).
📱 Need Help? Each cooling center has a phone number listed for those needing more information. The Robert Howard Community Center in Diamond Lakes (103 Diamond Lakes Way, Hephzibah) is also available at 706-826-1370.
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
