Editorial: Cool tips for high temperatures

Published 4:00 pm Monday, July 15, 2019

High temperatures are not unusual for a South Georgia summer. But when temperatures push into the 90s and teeter toward the century mark, it’s time to take extra precautions.

It feels even hotter outside than what it says on the thermometer.

And it can be a killer, figuratively and literally.

Extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States, claiming more than 650 lives across the nation each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ready Georgia, a statewide campaign supported by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security, provides a number of tips for staying safe during the extreme summer heat:

– Stay indoors as much as possible and limit exposure to the sun.

– Drink plenty of fluids and replace salts and minerals in your body.

– Limit intake of alcoholic beverages.

– Closely monitor a local media outlet or NOAA Weather Radio for the latest information.

– Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight and light-colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible. Protect face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

– Spend time in air-conditioned places.

– Stay on the lowest floor, out of the sunshine if air conditioning is not available.

– Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles.

– Avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day. Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat and take frequent breaks.

Residents should also be wary of leaving animals out in the heat. It is important for someone with an animal outside in a pen to provide the animal with fresh, clean drinking water.

So, if you’re hot, do all you can to cool down. Take it easy. The heat is on.