Heat, power and the pandemic; how to stay safe this Labor Day weekend
Not only is it a holiday weekend in the midst of a pandemic, but also here in the desert it’s dangerously hot outside. News Channel 3’s Caitlin Thropay breaks down what you need to know to have a safe Labor Day weekend.
Heat, power and the pandemic; the three key issues you need to be aware of this Labor Day weekend to stay safe.
Record-breaking temperatures are expected this weekend so limit time outdoors, drink plenty of water, never leave your children or pets in an unattended car and know the signs of heat exhaustion verse heat stroke.
“Dizzy, weak, fatigued, have an upset stomach, maybe even vomit,” Dr. Timothy Rupp the chairman of emergency medicine at JFK Memorial Hospital shared the signs of heat exhaustion with News Channel 3.
“A person with heat stroke typically has an altered mental status," Dr. Rupp said. "For example, the cooling mechanism shut down, their mental status changes and they don’t realize that they need to either try to hydrate or get in from the heat or stop doing what it is they’re doing that’s making them overheated in the first place," he explained.
He said to hydrate starting early even when you’re not thirsty.
“We’ve had a lot of a number of patients actually elderly with underlying medical conditions who simply walk from the end of the driveway to the mailbox and clops,” he said.
Moving onto another serious issue; power problems.
We’ve been reporting this for several weeks and with another flex alert in place this weekend it’s crucial to do these three things to help avoid a power outage.
- Don’t use major appliances between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Move your thermostat to 78 degrees
- Unplug and turn off lights
Finally, we’re living in a deadly pandemic.
To avoid a surge in coronavirus cases this weekend Dr. Rupp shared how to celebrate Labor Day wisely.
“If it’s a family get together at a private dwelling again masks, social distancing, good hand hygiene and avoiding situations where those things are not happening,” he said.
Those are your safety tips for this labor day weekend. Stay safe out there.
One place you can go for air conditioning is a cooling center. See the list of cooling centers near you here.
