A 73-year-old Kernville woman was left with nowhere to go Friday morning when there was a temporary power outage in her area.
When Karen Hartfield drove to the nearest cooling center in Lake Isabella she was turned away.
Cooling centers in valley areas in Kern County are only open when temperatures are forecasted to be 105 or above. Kernville on Friday was forecasted to be 103.
According to the Department of Aging and Adult Services, that temperature threshold is based off of what the National Weather Service determines to be excessive heat.
Hartfield hopes that they consider changing that threshold to 100 degrees. She fears for herself and the elderly residents in Kernville.
The Department of Aging and Adult Services says that if they had more funding they would consider that option. Currently, the cooling center program is funded through a PG&E grant.
The department says to contact their office at (661) 868-1000 if a cooling center is not open in your area and you need assistance or a place to go.
