LADWP gives away AC units amid intense heat wave

The sweltering heat brought hundreds searching for relief to the Lincoln Park Senior Center , where the L.A. Department of Water and Power (DWP) gave away air conditioning units to qualifying seniors.

KNX News' Karen Adams spoke with DWP representative Gregory Reed , who said these giveaway events have become increasingly popular as the temperatures rise.

"We recognize that as climate change persists and urban heating continues, we have so many customers who are going to be vulnerable for so many reasons," said Reed, "And this is probably the first of the many resources that we're bringing to our community."

Monday's Lincoln Park event is the third of an ongoing series they call ' Cool L.A. ,' where the agency brings resources to seniors, a departure from other programs that require a bit of leg work from the citizens.

"We recognize that our senior citizens can be some of our most vulnerable customers during these heat waves, and we have a program where customers can buy an air conditioning unit and get a $225 rebate. But rather than having our senior citizens go through that process, we said let's bring the resource to them," Reed said.

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LADWP held its first event in Watts, where Reed said 300 AC units were given out; a second event in Pacoima saw even more units donated, and he predicted that this third event would be around 500 units given away.

Another DWP ' Cool L.A. ' event is planned for October in Reseda.

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