By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis – As the heat wave continues to bake the area, city of St. Louis officials are concerned that some residents may die from the severe weather. An excessive heat warning remains in effect as temperatures and humidity combine to make it feel hotter than 100 degrees.
Bill Seidhoff, director of the city's department of human services, says problems occur when people don't leave their homes to take advantage of the help that's available,
"We've had very limited traffic at the cooling centers. We had set up over 37 centers here in the city so far. We have 21 and plus 17 public library sites so we have plenty of capacity here, it's just the willingness of people to leave their homes and seek out those cooling centers."
Seidhoff appeared at an event today (Tuesday) where Ameren-U-E donated 50 air conditioners and 1,800 bottles of water to "Cool Down St. Louis", a local charity helping people with cooling needs.