Press Release
Date: June 24, 2015
Media Contact: James Carey and Ramona Quinn
Phone:
541-883-1122
According to the National Weather Service Klamath County
will experience an unusually long period of hot weather, reaching into July.
Our expected high temperatures Friday and Saturday may reach 92 TO 102.
High temperatures can affect your health
Residents are advised to stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay informed.
Klamath County Public
Health officials urge people across the county to take precautions
as temperatures soar. Extremely high or unusually hot temperatures can affect your health. On
average, 675 deaths from extreme heat events occur each year in the United
States.
“High temperatures can seriously impact the
health of the elderly, those who work or exercise outdoors, infants and
children, the homeless or poor, and people with a chronic medical condition,”
said [Ramona Quinn, Klamath County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Manager].
“Drinking plenty of fluids, limiting outdoor activity and staying cool can
reduce a person’s risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke.”
Take the necessary precautions to prevent serious health effects such as
heat exhaustion or heat stroke:
• Stay in
air-conditioned buildings.
• Do not rely on a
fan as your primary cooling device.
• Limit outdoor
activity, especially midday when it is the hottest part of the day, and avoid
direct sunlight.
• Wear loose,
lightweight, light-colored clothing.
• Take cool showers
or baths to lower your body temperature.
• Drink more than
usual and don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Drink from two to
four cups of water every hour while working or exercising outside.
• Avoid alcohol or
liquids containing high amounts of sugar.
• Make sure your
family, friends and neighbors are drinking enough water.
• Check on at-risk
friends, family and neighbors at least twice a day.
If you must be out in the heat:
- Limit your outdoor activity
to morning and evening hours.
- Cut down on exercise. If you
must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each
hour.
- A sports beverage can
replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a
low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage.
Remember the warning in the first “tip” (above), too.
- Try to rest often in shady
areas.
- Protect yourself from the sun
by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) and sunglasses and
by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products
say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels).
JUST A REMINDER: Don’t leave your pet alone in the
car on a warm day
- Despite the warnings, every year, pets die after
their owners leave them in a parked car that overheats. Within just a few
minutes, a car can get extremely shot, stifling, and deadly. Dr. Ernie Ward
did an experiment on a warm summer’s day in which he sat in a parked car
with the windows cracked. He wanted to see just how hot it would get.
Within 30 minutes it was 117 degrees inside the car. “Never, ever leave
your dog in a parked car on a warm day,” he pleads at the end of the video he made
to document his experience. That goes for any pet, by the way!
This information provided by the Center
of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For more information on heat exhaustion and heat stroke, visit Oregon
Health Authority, Public Health Division’s extreme heat website:
For more information on hot weather and your pets go to the Petfinder’s
website:
https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-care/hot-weather-tips/
