Hello, my name is Bob Hill and I am the Brookings County emergency manager, among other duties that I have as the Brookings County development director. One of my important tasks is to provide public awareness to our county’s citizens.
In my duties, I receive a lot of information on awareness and this media outlet has offered to assist in disseminating information to our citizens. I want to express my thanks to the Brookings Register for this opportunity.
The topic for this week is extreme heat.” Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths most years. Warm temperatures can quickly rise to dangerous levels especially in the summer months and in parked cars. Children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses are especially vulnerable to heat exposure.
Children should NEVER be left in a car, no matter the time of year. Vehicular heatstroke has occurred when outside temperatures are below 70 degrees Fahrenheit sunlight can cause the inside of a car to heat up VERY quickly.
Dont wait until the heat arrives to begin protecting yourself. If the forecast calls for extreme heat, begin preparing NOW. Stay weather-ready. The information contained in this article was provided courtesy of the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
You might ask the question, “What exactly is the definition of extreme heat?” I consulted the FEMA website, www.ready.gov, for an answer: Extreme heat is a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees for at least two to three days.
In the emergency management realm, we speak in terms of actions that can be taken before, during, and after an event. When dealing with heat the first thing to learn is how to recognize the signs of heat illness. You have heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. We will cover these in more detail in the “during phase.”
The “before phase” consists of things that you can do proactively before the heat wave arrives. Among these is to identify a place that you can go to cool down. These could be a library, a public establishment, or a large shade tree. You should not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans create air flow and a false sense of comfort, but do not reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illnesses. A lot of the actions that we do in Brookings County to protect us in the winter months also help us keep the heat out in heat spells, such as insulating and using weather stripping in our residences. You can also add a window air conditioner, just make sure you insulate the area around it. You can also take a cool shower or bath and use the oven less to reduce the temperature in your home.
If you go outside wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing and wear a hat wide enough to cover your face. You should also drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated and avoid high-energy activities or working outdoors, during the midday heat if possible. Also, never leave people or pets in a closed car on a warm day.
It is just as important that you check on family members, older adults, and neighbors and consider pet safety. If you have outdoor pets make sure that they have plenty of cool water and access to comfortable shade. Asphalt, concrete, and dark pavement can be very hot to your pets feet/paws.
The “during phase” includes knowing the heat-related illnesses. Heat cramps occur when you start to experience muscle pains or spasms in the stomach, arms or legs. Heat exhaustion signs include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, fast or weak pulse, dizziness, headache, fainting, nausea, and vomiting. If you have signs of heat cramps or heat exhaustion, go to a cooler location and cool down by removing excess clothing and taking sips of sports drinks or water. Call your healthcare provider if the symptoms get worse or last more than an hour.
The last illness is the worst one, heat stroke. One gets an extremely high body temperature (above 103 degrees F) turn red and has hot and dry skin with no sweating, they have a rapid strong pulse and become dizzy get confused or become unconscious. If you suspect heat stroke, call 911 or get the person to a hospital immediately. Cool them down with whatever methods are available until medical help arrives. Do not give the person anything to drink.
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The “after phase” after an extreme heat wave is to evaluate what happened during the event and start planning for the next event.
For those individuals who speak a language other than English, there are hazard information sheets for extreme heat in other languages at https://community.fema.gov/ProtectiveActions/s/article/Extreme-Heat. Besides English, there are Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese, simplified and traditional.
Until next time, keep an eye on the sky. Bob the EM.
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