Staying safe in the Mississippi heat
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) -You don’t have to go far; in fact, all you have to do is open the door to know that the Summer heat is here.
With high temperatures sitting in the upper 90s and the heat index in the triple digits, emergency responders and health professionals are warning about heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Family Nurse Practitioner Elise Chamblee says heat exhaustion is real and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“Heat exhaustion is a very real thing;
heat stroke is also very real. Signs and symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion — heat exhaustion comes first. Signs and symptoms of that would be that you start to get kind of dizzy feeling, fatigued; you may get some muscle cramps, weakness; you can have some nausea and vomiting with that. And it’s a lot of excessive sweating when you’re in the heat exhaustion phase,” said Chamblee.
Columbus Fire Chief Charles Yarbrough and Chamblee give tips on how to stay cooler, and the biggest one is.
“If you can, stay out of the heat. But I know that’s impossible for some people, so if you have to be out in the heat, drink plenty of water. Even if you’re not thirsty, drink water. I would stay away from sugary drinks,” said Yarbrough.
“Wear very light clothing. The lighter color the clothing is, the better you stay cooler. We would also recommend that you take good breaks. If you have to work out in the heat, we recommend you take breaks every 15-30 minutes out of the heat, find some shade somewhere, and make sure that you’re hydrating well with water. Other supplements, like electrolyte supplements, are good, but the primary hydration needs to be bottles of water.”
Chamblee says that Allegro East also offers IV hydration for people who may be dehydrated and will work in this summer heat.
For more information on the IV hydration, contact Allegro East.
