Heat waves

Maine CDC Advises Caution in Heat: Keep Cool, Drink Adequate Fluids, and Rest Frequently

June 9, 2008 -- With Maine heading into summer, it is important for all of us to prevent heat-related problems and to recognize the signs of heat illness early. Heat-related illnesses and deaths are preventable, yet over the past 30 years more people have died in this country from heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined.

All Mainers should take some simple measures to prevent heat-related illness. However, those who are most susceptible include infants and young children, people 65 years old and older, people with a mental illness, and those who are physically ill with heart disease or high blood pressure.

These simple measures include:    » read more »

08 October 2007 -- Hundreds of runners at a marathon in Chicago needed medical help during a race Sunday in unseasonable heat and high humidity.

Organizers stopped the event after 3.5 hours because of the humidity and temperatures reaching above 31 degrees Celsius.

Organizers said they feared emergency personnel would have been overwhelmed with all the people who may have needed medical care.

A 35-year-old Michigan police officer collapsed and died during the race, but an autopsy showed his death was due to a heart condition, and not heat-related.    » read more »

October 04, 2007 -- FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 4, 2007) -- The Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet assured the public today that drinking water from municipal water supplies is safe to consume despite drought-induced changes in taste and smell. The changes are attributable to low water supplies, high temperatures and supplemental water treatment, say state and local water officials.    » read more »

20 September 2007 -- Different cultures have different ways of coping with extreme heat. In Houston, Texas, when the mercury rises, office workers head underground rather then go outdoors. Their refuge is an elaborate network of tunnels, which has expanded over the years without any central planning. Malcolm Brown paid a visit.

Looking at Houston's high-rise landscape, you might imagine that the streets would be packed at lunchtime. But they're not.

That is because many office workers are down here, in a network of pedestrian tunnels around 11 kilometers long.    » read more »

(Sept. 3, 11:00 a.m.) The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories, excessive heat warnings and hazardous weather outlooks for portions of Arizona.

Arizona’s heat can be dangerous. Because so many heat illnesses involve excessive dehydration of the body, it is essential that water intake during the day be about equal to the amount of sweat produced, especially for people who work or live outdoors, young children, and the elderly.    » read more »

Second release of emergency funds this summer to Kentuckians; $6.4M total

August 31, 2007 - FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher announced today that $3.9 million in additional energy assistance will be made immediately available to low income families and the elderly. Earlier this month, Governor Fletcher released an emergency $2.5 million for cooling assistance.    » read more »

August 30, 2007 -- ATLANTA- Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Georgia would be one of 12 states awarded $50 million in emergency energy assistance. The funds from the federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are targeted to states that have experienced dangerously high temperatures in recent weeks.    » read more »