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Heat (Heat Wave)
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Heat (Heat Wave) in PDF Format
-- 49 KB
Produced by the National Disaster Education Coalition:
American Red Cross, FEMA, IAEM, IBHS, NFPA, NWS, USDA/CSREES, and
USGS.
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Why Talk About Extreme Heat?
Heat can kill by pushing the human body beyond its limits. Under
normal conditions, the body's internal thermostat produces perspiration
that evaporates and cools the body. However, in extreme heat and high
humidity, evaporation is slowed and the body must work extra hard
to maintain a normal temperature. Elderly people, young children,
and those who are sick or overweight are more likely to become victims
of extreme heat. Because men sweat more than women, they are more
susceptible to heat illness because they become more quickly dehydrated.
The duration of excessive heat plays an important role in how people
are affected by a heat wave. Studies have shown that a significant
rise in heat-related illnesses happens when excessive heat lasts more
than two days. Spending at least two hours per day in air conditioning
significantly cuts down on the number of heat-related illnesses.
Studies have shown that a significant rise
in heat-related illnesses happens when excessive heat lasts more than
two days.
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What is Extreme Heat?
The parameters of an extreme heat watch, warning, or advisory can
vary by location. Generally, temperatures that hover 10 degrees or
more above the average high temperature for the region, last for prolonged
periods of time, and are often accompanied by high humidity, that
the body cannot tolerate are defined as extreme heat. A heat wave
is a very dangerous situation.
People living in urban areas may be at greater risk from the effects
of a prolonged heat wave than people living in rural regions. An increased
health problem, especially for those with respiratory difficulties,
can occur when stagnant atmospheric conditions trap pollutants in
urban areas, thus adding unhealthy air to excessively hot temperatures.
In addition, asphalt and concrete store heat longer and gradually
releases heat at night, which produces significantly higher nighttime
temperatures in urban areas known as the "urban heat island effect."
Learn about the risk of extreme heat in your area by contacting
your local emergency management office, National Weather Service office,
or American
Red Cross chapter.
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Awareness Information
Know these terms:
- Heat wave: Prolonged period of excessive heat, often combined
with excessive humidity. The
National Weather Service steps up its procedures to alert
the public during these periods when it anticipates an increase
in human heat-related illnesses.
- Heat index: A number in degrees Fahrenheit (F) that tells how
h ot it really feels when relative humidity is added to the actual
air temperature. Exposure to full sunshine can increase the heat
index by 15 degrees.
- Heat cramps: Heat cramps are muscular pains and spasms due to
heavy exertion. Although heat cramps are the least severe, they
are often the first signal that the body is having trouble with
the heat.
- Heat exhaustion: Heat exhaustion typically occurs when people
exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids
are lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases,
causing blood flow to decrease to the vital organs. This results
in a form of mild shock. If not treated, the victim's condition
will worsen. Body temperature will keep rising and the victim
may suffer heat stroke.
- Heat stroke: Heat stroke is life-threatening. The victim's temperature
control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops
working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage
and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly.
- Sunstroke: Another term for heat stroke.
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Watch for Signals
- Heat exhaustion: Cool, moist, pale, or flushed skin; heavy sweating;
headache; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; and exhaustion. Body
temperature may be normal, or is likely to be rising.
- Heat stroke: Hot, red skin; changes in consciousness; rapid,
weak pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. Body temperature can
be very high -sometimes as high as 105 degrees F. If the person
was sweating from heavy work or exercise, skin may be wet; otherwise,
it will feel dry.
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How to Treat a Heat Emergency
- Heat stroke: Heat stroke is a life-threatening situation. Help
is needed fast. Call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. Move
the person to a cooler place. Quickly cool the body. Immerse victim
in a cool bath, or wrap wet sheets around the body and fan it.
Watch for signals of breathing problems. Keep the person lying
down and continue to cool the body any way you can. If the victim
refuses water, is vomiting, or there are changes in the level
of consciousness, do not give anything to eat or drink.
- Heat cramps: Get the person to a cooler place and have him or
her rest in a comfortable position. Lightly stretch the affected
muscle and replenish fluids. Give a half glass of cool water every
15 minutes. Do not give liquids with alcohol or caffeine in them,
as they can cause further dehydration, making conditions worse.
- Heat exhaustion: Get the person out of the heat and into a cooler
place. Remove or loosen tight clothing and apply cool, wet cloths,
such as towels or sheets. If the person is conscious, give cool
water to drink. Make sure the person drinks slowly. Give a half
glass of cool water every 15 minutes. Let the victim rest in a
comfortable position, and watch carefully for changes in his or
her condition.
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Plan for Extreme Heat
Develop a Family Disaster Plan. Please see the
"Family Disaster Plan" section for general family planning information.
Revisit your family disaster plan before summer heat is expected.
Extreme heat- specific planning should include the following:
- Learn what heat hazards may occur where you are and learn
how to plan for extreme heat should it occur in your area.
Different areas have different risks associated with prolonged
heat. Contact your local emergency management office, National
Weather Service office, or American Red Cross chapter for information.
If you are at risk from extreme heat:
- If your home does not have air conditioning, choose other
places you go to get relief from the heat during the warmest part
of the day. Schools, libraries, theaters and other community
facilities often provide air-conditioned refuge on the hottest
days. Air conditioning provides the safest escape from extreme
heat. During the 1995 Midwest heat wave, most deaths happened
to people not in air conditioned locations.
- Plan changes in your daily activities to avoid strenuous work
during the warmest part of the day. Ill effects of heat can
quickly overcome the healthiest people, if they perform strenuous
work during the warmest parts of the day. Symptoms of dehydration
are not easily recognized and are often confused with other causes.
Dehydration occurs fast and makes you ill very quickly.
- Some family members may be taking medications or have medical
conditions that may cause poor blood circulation or reduced ability
to tolerate heat. Discuss these concerns with a physician.
A physician can advise you about changes to medication or other
activities you can do to temporarily relieve the effects of heat.
- Plan to check on family, friends, and neighbors who do not
have air conditioning or who spend much of their time alone.
Elderly persons who live alone or with a working relative might
need assistance on hot days. The majority of deaths during the
1995 Midwest heat wave were persons who were alone.
- Plan to wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light
colors will reflect away the sun's rays more than dark colors,
which absorb the sun's rays.
- Get training. Take an American Red Cross first aid course
to learn how to treat heat emergencies and other emergencies.
Everyone should know how to respond, because the effects of heat
can happen very quickly.
- Discuss extreme heat wave with your family. Everyone should
know what to do in the places where they spend time. Some places
may not be air conditioned or safe during a heat wave, so plan
alternatives. Discussing extreme heat ahead of time will help
reduce fear and anxiety, and lets everyone know how to respond.
Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit
Please see the section "Disaster Supplies Kit"
for general supplies kit information. Extreme heat-specific supplies
should include the following:
- Additional water
- Disaster Suplies Kit basics.
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Protect Your Property
- Install window air conditioners snugly. Insulate spaces
around air conditioners for a tighter fit. An air conditioner
with a tight fit around the windows or wall openings will make
less noise and allow less hot air in from the outside.
- Make sure your home is properly insulated. This will help
you to conserve electricity and reduce your home's power demands
for air conditioning. Weather-strip doors and windowsills to keep
cool air inside, allowing the inside temperature to stay cooler
longer.
- During a drought, conserve water by placing a brick, or another
large solid object, in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of
water used in flushing.
- Consider keeping storm windows installed throughout the year.
Storm windows can keep the heat out of a house in the summer
the same way they keep the cold out in the winter.
- Check air-conditioning ducts for proper insulation. Insulation
around ducts prevents cool air from leaking and keeps it directed
through the vents.
- Protect windows. Hang shades, draperies, awnings, or louvers
on windows that receive morning or afternoon sun. Outdoor awnings
or louvers can reduce the heat entering the house by as much as
80 percent.
- Use attic fans. If you have a fan installed to vent warm
air out of your attic, use the fan to help keep your home cool.
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Media and Comminity Education Ideas
- Publish a special newspaper section with emergency information
on extreme heat. Localize the information by including the phone
numbers of local emergency services offices, the American Red
Cross chapter, and local hospitals.
- Interview local physicians about the dangers of sunburn, heat
exhaustion, heat stroke, and other possible conditions caused
by excessive heat.
- During a drought, run a series of programs suggesting ways that
individuals can conserve water and energy in their homes and their
workplaces.
- Interview local officials and representatives of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture about special steps farmers can
take to establish alternative water supplies for their crops and
ways to protect livestock and poultry from the effects of extreme
heat.
- Sponsor a "Helping Your Neighbors" program through your local
school system to encourage children to think of those persons
who require special assistance during severe weather conditions,
such as elderly people, infants, or people with disabilities.
- Arrange for air-conditioned shelters to be opened when necessary
for community members who do not have air conditioning at home.
- Arrange for special programs to provide air conditioners to vulnerable
people in their homes.
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What to Do During Extreme Heat
- Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. Reduce,
eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities. High-risk individuals
should stay in cool places. Get plenty of rest to allow your natural
"cooling system" to work. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during
the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between
4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Many heat emergencies are experienced by people
exercising or working during the hottest part of the day.
- Avoid too much sunshine. Sunburn slows
the skin's ability to cool itself. The sun will also heat the inner
core of your body, resulting in dehydration. Use a sunscreen lotion
with a high sun protection factor (SPF) rating.
- Postpone outdoor games and activities.
Extreme heat can threaten the health of athletes, staff, and spectators
of outdoor games and activities.
- Avoid extreme temperature changes. A cool
shower immediately after coming in from hot temperatures can result
in hypothermia, particularly for elderly and very young people.
- Stay indoors as much as possible. If air
conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor, out of the
sunshine. Even in the warmest weather, staying indoors, out of sunshine,
is safer than long periods of exposure to the sun.
- Keep heat outside and cool air inside.
Close any registers that may allow heat inside. Install temporary reflectors,
such as aluminum foil covered cardboard, in windows and skylights to
reflect heat back outside.
- Conserve electricity not needed to keep you cool.
During periods of extreme heat, people tend to use a lot more power
for air conditioning. Conserve electricity not used to keep you cool
so power can remain available and reduce the chance of a community wide
outage.
- Vacuum air conditioner filters weekly during
periods of high use. Air conditioner filters can become clogged
or filled with dirt, making them less efficient. Keeping them clean
will allow your air conditioner to provide more cool air.
- If your home does not have air conditioning,
go to a public building with air conditioning each day for several hours.
Air conditioned locations are the safest places during extreme heat
because electric fans do not cool the air. Fans do help sweat evaporate,
which gives a cooling effect.
- Dress appropriately:
- Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored
clothing that will cover as much skin as possible. Lightweight,
light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight and helps maintain
normal body temperature. Cover as much skin as possible to avoid
sunburn and over-warming effects of sunlight on your body.
- Protect face and head by wearing a wide-brimmed
hat. A hat will keep direct sunlight off your head and face.
Sunlight can burn and warm the inner core of your body.
- Drink plenty of fluids even if you do not feel
thirsty. Injury and death can occur from dehydration, which can
happen quickly and unnoticed. Symptoms of dehydration are often confused
with other causes. Persons who have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver
disease; who are on fluid-restrictive diets; or who have a problem with
fluid retention should consult a doctor before increasing liquid intake.
- Take frequent breaks if you must work outdoors.
Frequent breaks, especially in a cool area or to drink fluids, can help
people tolerate heat better.
- Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat.
Partners can keep an eye on each other and can assist each other when
needed. Sometimes exposure to heat can cloud judgment. Chances are if
you work alone, you may not notice this.
- Drink plenty of water regularly and often.
Your body needs water to keep cool. Water is the safest liquid to drink
during heat emergencies.
- Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine in them.
They can make you feel good briefly, but make the heat's effects on
your body worse. This is especially true about beer, which actually
dehydrates the body.
- Eat small meals and eat more often. Large,
heavy meals are more difficult to digest and cause your body to increase
internal heat to aid digestion, worsening overall conditions. Avoid
foods that are high in protein, such as meats and nuts, which increase
metabolic heat.
- Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do
so by a physician. Salt causes the body to retain fluids, resulting
in swelling. Salt affects areas of your body that help you sweat, which
would keep you cool. Persons on salt-restrictive diets should check
with a physician before increasing salt intake.
- NEVER leave children or pets alone in closed
vehicles. Temperatures inside a closed vehicle can reach over
140 degrees F within minutes. Exposure to such high temperatures can
kill in minutes.
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