National Weather Service - Heat Safety

Please be aware that we are under an extreme heat warning according to the National Weather Service. We are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sunshine, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible.

Please be sure to call the office to put in an emergency work order if you have any issues with your air conditioner.

National Weather Service - Heat Safety for You and Your Family 

During a Heat Wave

• Slow Down: Reduce, eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day. Children, seniors and anyone with health concerns should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors. 
  
  
• Dress for Summer: Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing to reflect heat. 
  
  
• Eat Light: Choose easy-to-digest foods such as fruit of salads. If you pack food, put it in a cooler or carry an ice pack. Meats and dairy products can spoil quickly in hot weather. 
  
  
• Drink plenty of water (not very cold): Focus on non-alcoholic and decaffeinated fluids. Drink water even if you don't feel thirsty. If you're on a fluid retention diet or have a problem with fluid retention, consult a physician before increasing consumption of fluids.
  
  
• Use Air Conditioners: Spend time in air-conditioned locations such as malls and libraries if your home isn't air conditioned. 
  
  
• Use Portable Electric Fans: Fans exhaust hot air from rooms or draw in cooler air. Do not direct the flow of portable electric fans toward yourself when room temperatures are hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The blow drying air will dehydrate you faster, endangering your health.
  
  
• Minimize Direct Exposure to the Sun: Sunburn reduces your body's ability to dissipate heat. Take a cool bath or shower.
  
  
• Do Not Take Salt Tablets: Only take salt tablets if recommended by a physician. 
  
  
• Be Aware of Infants, Older, Sick or Frail People and Pets: Never leave children, disabled adults, or pets in a car. 
  
  
• For More Health Tips: Go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Warning vs. Watch

• Excessive Heat Watch: An Excessive Heat Watch is typically issued two to five days ahead of possible dangerous heat conditions. Certainty regarding the development and timing of the event is lower than a warning.
  
  
• Excessive Heat Warning: An Excessive Heat Warning. preceded by an Excessive Heat Watch, is typically within one to three days of the onset of extremely dangerous heat conditions and remains in effect until the extreme danger subsides. Certainty is high that event will occur.
  
  
• Heat Advisory: A Heat Advisory is typically issued within one to three days of the onset of dangerous heat and remains in effect until the danger subsides. These conditions pose a lesser, but still dangerous, risk to communities. Certainty is high that conditions will occur.

Excessive Heat - America's Deadliest Weather: Excessive heat poses a significant risk to people's heath, including heat stroke and heat exhaustion, which can result in death. Excessive heat generally means unusually hot temperatures, possibly combined with oppressive humidity, that persists for two or more days. However, specific guidelines vary across the country and may be refined through work with local and state health professionals.

For more information, visit weather.gov/safety/heat.

Heat Can be Dangerous

The Heat Index
The Heat Index is one way to measure how hot it feels when humidity is considered with the temperature. For example. when the temperature is 95 degrees and the relative humidity is 50 percent, the Heat Index is 105 degrees. To find Heat Index temperature, use the chart or use the online calculator available at weather.gov/safety/heat-index.

Heat Index temperatures shaded in red indicate extreme danger. The National Weather Service utilizes the Heat Index in many parts of the country to determine when and where to issue heat alerts.

Heat Exhaustion or Heat Stroke? 

Heat Exhaustion: 

• Faint or dizzy
• Excessive sweating
• Cool, pale, clammy skin
• Nausea or vomiting
• Rapid, weak pulse
• Muscle cramps

Get to a cooler, air conditioned place.
Drink water if fully conscious.
Take a cool shower or use cold compresses.

Heat Stroke: 

• Throbbing headache, confusion
• No sweating
• Body temperature about 103 degrees
• Red, hot, dry skin
• Nausea or vomiting
• Rapid, strong pulse
• May lose consciousness

Call 911. 
Move person to a cooler place.
Cool using cool cloths or bath.
Do not give anything to drink.

NEVER leave a baby, senior or pet locked in a car, even for a few minutes. Dozens of infants and untold numbers of pets die every year in hot vehicles. 

For more information, visit weather.gov/safety/heat.

Thanks,

THA Staff