Ward, the Duke researcher, said it's also important to think outside the box if you don't have air conditioning.
If you live in a dry area, hang wet towels to cool the room.Īt night, if temperatures drop, keep your windows and shutters open. So take advantage of public spaces with air conditioning, like libraries and shopping malls.ĭuring the day, cover your windows, turn off the lights and avoid using the stove or oven. Spending just a few hours in an air-conditioned space can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat, according to the CDC. The CDC says you should seek treatment if such symptoms worsen or last more an hour. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, dizziness, vomiting and cold, pale or clammy skin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says heat stroke is a medical emergency and recommends that people with symptoms call 911. Other symptoms include nausea, headaches, thirst and a fast and strong heart rate. You might be experiencing a heat stroke if your body temperature reaches or surpasses 103 degrees. The heat can have adverse effects on people who work or exercise outdoors, for example, and also homeless people or those without efficient air conditioning or any at all. But that doesn't mean healthy people are immune, said Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. Older adults, young children and people with chronic illnesses like diabetes are most at risk. The body normally cools itself by sweating, but extreme heat can interrupt your ability to do that, potentially leading to heat exhaustion or heat stroke, organ failure or death.
That means even without a particular weather phenomenon, like what we’re seeing in Texas right now, we’re seeing temperatures we aren’t used to, and that in its own right is a risk.”
"It’s getting hotter just about everywhere. No one thinks about it,” said Ben Zaitchik, a professor and climate scientist at Johns Hopkins University whose research includes heat waves. Heat kills more Americans than any other weather event, including tornadoes and flooding, even though most heat-related deaths are preventable through outreach and intervention, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Here’s a guide on how to keep cool and stay safe in the punishing temperatures as the latest heat wave ravaging the country spreads east.
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