‘Misery’ describes the feeling for those without cooling relief during prolonged heat wave

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The famous Mediterranean climate of the Santa Barbara County coastline has not been able to hold off the intense heat bearing down on California to start the month.

Just being hot for a day or two is one thing. Five days of it is misery.

There are many renters without air conditioned units, and in most cases, box fans can't keep up with the broiling temperatures baking their units.

Over the Labor Day weekend, it was not uncommon to find windows and doors open on properties during the later hours throughout Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara resident Laura Robertson said it was all starting to wear on her. "I am starting to feel  negative health affects on me.  Very lethargic, just don't have any energy to do anything, just want to  lay around and rest with a fan on me all day."

For those who have no air conditioning, like Rev. Joe Schwab at the Santa Barbara Mission he said, "the tile roof kind of absorbs the heat and it turns it in to a pizza over by about five in the afternoon."

Escaping to shady areas in a city with an abundance of trees is a way to find relief. That led to a trip to Shoreline Park. "I tried this the other day and it didn't work. Today it works. This is wonderful here at the park today," said Rev. Schwab.

One resident was worried about a neighbor with a broken air conditioner and an uncomfortable older Sheila Wald said, "there's nobody to help you on Labor Day weekend you can't all any service people that's kind of bad. "

Her escape was shade or a cool building. "I thought if I can get a shady bench I will come here otherwise I will go to the Eastside library or the Montecito library.  So here I am."

For those who don't have air conditioning, and are just using fans at home, they tell us there's a science to the way they get the hot out and the cool air in.

Robertson said, she closes the bedroom doors and "open up all the living areas like the kitchen,  living room area and put all the fans in there. I'm not doing laundry. I'm not doing dishes.  I am not running any kind of extra things  except the fans."

At the beach, relief includes the family dog, on a paddle board. "She is kind of chicken swimming deep, so we wanted her in the water." Ironically, the dog's name is Stormy.

At Cold Spring Tavern over the weekend, a Labor Day show at the rustic hideaway worked out in the shaded canyon, and less painful in the a cool setting. The Tina Scheliske band performed and Tri-tip sandwiches were served with refreshing drinks.

Down the hill in the Santa Ynez Valley, it was in the area of 105 degrees.

The cooler air recovery has been slow, and, for example, Sunday morning it was 92 degrees in Montecito at 10:30 a.m.

The state and local governments have identified some cooling center locations.  They have included the Carpinteria and  Goleta Libraries.
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