EUGENE, Ore. – For the first time this summer, Saint Vincent de Paul activated its cooling center on Monday after local temperatures broke 100 degrees.

Organizers only open their cooling center at the Lane Events Center when temperatures reach 100 degrees or more. On Aug. 10, the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat watch for the Willamette Valley, which will continue until 10 p.m. on Aug. 12. Temperatures broke 100 degrees for the first time locally this year on Aug. 11.

“Our first activation this year of our emergency response team will be happening at noon through 9 p.m. tonight,” Director of Operations Bill Barnard said. “We’ll be running cooling operations getting our neighbors and folks out of the heat to give them a place to rest, to kind of kick back and be safe from t

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