Officials warn of heat dangers as temps spike
It’s not officially summer until this Sunday, but the valley is heating up to near record temperatures throughout the week.
“It’s unbearably hot,” said Michael Bieger of La Quinta. “I hate it so much, it’s like being in a giant cooking pot.”
The mercury soared to 111 today. This time of year we should be about 10 degrees cooler.
And those temperatures expected to continue climbing.
“The sun beating on you all day it really wears you out,” said Evann Rennels of La Quinta.
“Just stay in the water and in the air conditioning and drink lots of water,” said Bryan Fair of La Quinta, who brought his three kids to La Quinta Park Monday afternoon to play in the water feature.
Water parks and pools are just some of the ways people are trying to stay cool in the valley.
“The water helps a lot,” said Arlene Fair. “I was getting the baby wet and he seems comfortable.”
Residents and visitors can also take advantage of one of the more than dozen cooling centers around Riverside County, which are open 8am until 5pm due to this week’s heat advisory.
“Stay inside. It’s hotter than, well, the worst place I can think of,” Bieger said.
But officials warn, if you’re going to be outside, follow these safety precautions to avoid getting heat exhaustion or even heat stroke:
“First of all you need to do outside activity in morning or evening. have some sort of shade or be careful where you are in the sun. don’t get trapped in the sun,” said Dr. Euthym Kontaxis, Emergency Room Director at Eisenhower Medical Center. “And most important, hydration always occurs before you need it. So they should be up early, drinking fluids, drinking lots of water. People should have about 8 to 10 bottles of water a day.”
Riverside County Cooling Centers:
