The western United States is experiencing extreme heat that will continue through Wednesday, September 7. Across the state of California, temperatures are 10 to 20 degrees higher than normal, and are expected to increase this weekend.
Extreme heat puts vulnerable Californians at risk, including children, older adults and those with health problems.
In light of this, state agencies and departments have issued some advice on how to stay safe during the extreme heat:
- Remember, if you do not have air conditioning, go to a shopping mall or public building for a few hours. If you must be outdoors, wear light clothing and sunscreen, avoid the hottest parts of the day and avoid strenuous activities.
- Sweating removes salt and necessary minerals from the body. Avoid caffeinated beverages - tea, coffee and soft drinks - and alcohol.
- Keep an eye on your friends and family and ask someone to do the same for you. If you know someone who is an older adult or has a health condition, check on them twice a day.
- Watch for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Know the symptoms of heat-related illnesses and be ready to help.
- Find cooling centers in your area by contacting your county or calling your local health department, or find one at Cooling Centers|California Governor's Office of Emergency Management.
To detect if a person is suffering from heat stroke, it is important to look for high body temperature - 103°F or higher; hot, red, dry or moist skin; rapid and strong pulse; headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and/or loss of consciousness - fainting.
Call 911 immediately -- heat exhaustion is a medical emergency. Move the person to a cooler place; help bring the person's temperature down with cool cloths or a cool bath; and do not give the person heat exhaustion. nothing person to drink.
In the case of heat exhaustion, you should detect intense sweating; cold, pale, clammy skin; rapid, weak pulse; nausea or vomiting; muscle cramps; tiredness or weakness; dizziness; headache; or fainting.
If such symptoms are detected, it is necessary to move to a cool place, loosen clothing, put cold wet cloths on the body or take a cold bath, drink water, and get medical help immediately if vomiting is occurring, if symptoms worsen or last more than one hour.
Heat cramps are detected when there is abundant sweating during intense exercise, pain or muscle spasms. For relief it is necessary to suspend physical activity and move to a cool place, drink water or isotonic or sports drinks, wait for the cramps to disappear before doing more physical activity.
However, you should get medical help immediately if cramps last more than an hour, if you are on a low-sodium diet, or if you have heart problems.
Extreme heat at work
Employers who have questions or need assistance with workplace health and safety programs may call Cal/OSHA's Consultation Services Office at 800-963-9424.
Complaints about workplace safety and health hazards can be filed confidentially with Cal/OSHA's district office. Cal/OSHA's heat illness prevention program includes heat regulation enforcement, as well as multilingual outreach and training programs for California employers and workers.
It should be noted that Cal ISO issued Flex Alerts for today, Saturday, September 3. Additional Flex Alerts may be available over the holiday weekend and early next week as well.
In response, Californians have been encouraged to pre-cool their homes before 4:00 p.m. and then raise thermostats to 78 degrees or higher if health permits, and to avoid using major appliances between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
You may be interested in: California declares state of emergency due to extreme heat wave
