People across the Valley are trying their best to cope with this heat wave, but for families who live in colonias, the heat is hard to escape.

“We are really struggling in these temperatures, I don't remember a year when we had this many really hot days,” Sandra Flores said. “I have two AC window units and it's still not enough to cool my house. “I have to close all the doors and curtains in my bedroom just for it to cool in here."

Flores’ neighbor has similar struggles.

“My room has an AC unit, but it still feels like an oven in there because since we're still building the house and we haven't finished… the room doesn't cool well,” Sarai Cruz said.

To bring families some relief, Hidalgo County is working with city leaders to open up cooling centers. So far the cities of McAllen, Pharr and Edcouch have made a space available to the public.

“They're open to anybody in the county,” Hidalgo County Emergency Management Coordinator Ricardo Saldaña said. “Residents from the rural areas are eligible to go in there and stay cool."

A list of cooling centers is below. They’ll remain open through this weekend, and possibly longer if needed.

City of Pharr

• Pharr Public Library
  • Located at 121 E Cherokee Ave
  • Open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 pm, Friday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Pharr Development and Research Center 
  • Located at 850 W. Dicker Road
  • Open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

City of McAllen

• McAllen Public Library
  • Located at 4001 N. 23rd Street
  • Cooling center usage from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m. this weekend
• Lark Community Center
  • Located at 2601 Lark Ave.
  • Cooling center usage from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m. this weekend
• The Salvation Army lobby area
  • Located at 1600 N. 23rd St. 
  • Cooling center usage from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

City of Edcouch

• Edcouch Fire Deparment
  • Located at 200 W Santa Rosa Ave.
  • Contact 956-262-5522