Experts warn of heat illness amid rising summer temperatures
With temperatures soaring well into the triple digits Thursday and Friday and an excessive heat warning in effect here in the valley, there are a number of heat-related symptoms you should watch out for, in yourself and others, to stay safe and cool.
“It is definitely hot out – I’m not used to it,” Kenneth Caldwell said in Palm Desert. “The desert people out here are trying to help me out like, ‘you’ll get used to it,’ but I don’t know how to get used to this heat.”
While the hot weather is uncomfortable for some, others are well adjusted.
“If you’ve lived here long enough, that’s the way it is,” Jason Connolly said. “I work indoors – it’s easy. It’s the people that work outdoors that — they struggle.”
And for many here in the desert, that struggle is a reality.
“It’s really hot,” said construction worker Hector Ochoa. “I’ve been out here for a couple of hours and I’m sweating profusely now and it hasn’t stopped.”
He and his team are working on a four-month project that requires them to be out every day in the sun.
“You get fatigued a little bit – normal for everybody but we try to stay hydrated as much as we can,” Ochoa said.
Workers drenched rags in water to wrap on their heads and stay cool, and took breaks in the shade.
“Yeah we take breaks,” said Alfredo Martinez, another construction worker. “And we use sunscreen, wear big hats, and try to protect ourselves.”
Even those not in the sun are still at risk. KESQ’s heat gun detected a door handle at 111 degrees. A shopping card was sensed at 116 degrees. And on the pavement in a Palm Desert shopping center, temperatures neared 160 degrees.
The National Weather Service issued warnings of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
“We’ve been getting a lot of increased numbers of patients coming in with various ranges of heat-related illnesses from heat rash and sunburn all the way up to life-threatening heat stroke and heat exhaustion.”
Heat illness is when your body gets so overheated that it can’t regulate body temperature.
“Some of the signs and symptoms to watch out for are things like excessive sweating, heat and redness to the skin, feeling dizzy or lightheaded especially when standing up or trying to walk,” said Dr. Julie Sayegh at Desert Regional Medical Center.
Panting, high pulse rate and even things up to confusion and loss of consciousness are other symptoms of heat stroke.
Dr. Sayegh emphasized if you start to feel lightheaded or dizzy, call 911 and seek medical help before getting to the point of severe symptoms or heat stroke.
