St. Louis County reported its first heat-related death of the season two weeks ago, and both city and county health officials want to help residents reduce and prevent heat-related illness and tragedy by offering several tips to stay cool and safe during soaring temperatures.
Try to stay inside when it is hot outside, and if you cannot, take frequent breaks in an air-conditioned environment. Avoid poorly ventilated areas and prolonged time in the sun. Of course, certain jobs require work outdoors, and those persons, along with everyone else, should keep plenty of non-alcohol and caffeine-free fluids on hand to drink. Wearing lightweight, loose fitting clothing is better during hot weather, because dark colors absorb more heat.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. If someone becomes dizzy, nauseated, or sweats heavily, find a cooler location for him or her immediately. Heat stroke is life-threatening. Dr. Fred Echols of the St. Louis County Department of Health said heat stroke symptoms are very similar to those of heat exhaustion, with one big difference.
“Typically, victims will have symptoms such as increased body temperature, flushed skin, and sweating. However, the biggest difference between heat stroke and heat exhaustion is that the sweating stops,” Dr. Echols explained. “When sweating stops, that’s the early tell-tale sign that the individual may be on the verge of having a heat stroke, which is a medical emergency. If individuals think they are on the verge of heat stroke, they should call 9-1-1 immediately, because it is a life threatening condition.”
Dr. Echols said take possible heat stroke victims to a cool place nearby while waiting for a medical emergency unit to arrive.
“They can also provide the individual with hydration – water or water-based products,” he said. “They should avoid any alcoholic beverages or any beverages that may contain caffeine because that can make dehydration worse.”
Heavy sweating depletes salt and minerals from the body. A sports drink can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. However, if you are on a low-salt diet, have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other chronic conditions, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.
In hot weather, eat light. Enjoy foods that are easily digested, avoiding hot, heavy, or greasy meals. In addition, don’t leave food unrefrigerated for long – food spoils rapidly in the heat.
“When sweating stops, that’s the early tell-tale sign that the individual may be on the verge of having a heat stroke.” – Dr. Fred Echols, St. Louis County Department of Health
Never leave kids in vehicles
Hot vehicles and children or pets are a no-go. Never leave children unattended in a vehicle. Check the backseat before exiting. During extreme heat, vehicle temperatures can reach lethal levels in a matter of minutes.
Routinely check on family members, neighbors, the chronically ill, and friends. Take care of those who might not be aware of the heat danger or be able to react accordingly – especially young children and the elderly. Check on anyone who may be vulnerable or do not have air conditioning. If they have air conditioning available, encourage them to use it. If their air conditioners are not working, get them to an air-conditioned location – with a family member, a friend or a cooling center – during the hottest hours of the day.
Libraries, fire stations, recreation centers and senior centers are among many locations in the greater St. Louis area, including the Metro East, that operate as cooling centers on hot days. Find the one nearest you by calling 2-1-1 on a landline, the United Way of Greater St. Louis Information Referral Line at 1-800-427-4626, or visit https://tinyurl.com/ya959nj8.
The first reported heat-related death was in South St. Louis County and involved an elderly woman whose air conditioner was broken and was waiting to get it serviced.
“You’ve got to check on your seniors and your physically disabled because, we love them, but they will never tell the truth,” said Gentry Trotter, founder of CoolDownStLouis.org. “You have to go to their house and knock the doors of your loved ones, your neighbors and touch them physically to see if they have a warm body and make sure that the AC is, in fact, working.”
CoolDownStLouis.org is finding that younger people are using their cell phones, social media and the cooldownstlouis.org website to report older people who may need help, and it is making a big difference for those who need to keep cool. However, as strange as it seems, Trotter said he does not believe in cooling centers. Instead, Trotter said he believes in fixing the problem – which means turning on working air conditioners (and working with the utility on the bill later), assisting elderly, physically disabled and low-income residents to keep their electricity on so they can run their air conditioning in these hot temperatures.
With St. Louis jumping from winter to summer temperatures with little spring in between, his organization has seen a 25 percent uptick in activity. While CoolDownStLouis.org provides air conditioners for seniors and the disabled on a first-come, first-served basis, it continuously seeks monetary donations as well as new or slightly used, working air conditioners to provide relief for families.
“You can’t beat the heat, but you can be around the heat to save lives, so public education is critical,” Trotter said. “We’ve asked churches and we’ve asked groups to make sure you check on your neighbors and make sure you canvass the neighborhood. Touch these seniors and see if they are all right, and some of them are too proud.”
Fans will not do
While heat takes a physical toll on everybody, Trotter said fans only blow the hot air from one place to another and the elderly are more susceptible to heat stroke and to death.
“Fans are deadly, they don’t mean nothing,” Trotter said. “You give somebody a fan and every time in the last 10 years, you found them dead in a house – from here all the way to St. Charles, to all the way down to the Bootheel that we cover, all the way to Columbia – all the way to Illinois. They’re dead, because fans will not keep you alive.”
CoolDownStLouis.org has a seniors-only hotline to call for assistance in keeping cool: 314-241-7668. He said while in most cases a disconnection notice is needed to get assistance with utility bills, that requirement is waived for the elderly and the physically disabled.
“For senior citizens and the physically disabled, you have to feel in-threat; you have to feel uncomfortable and say, ‘I don’t know if I can keep on the air’ or whatever. We will help you with emergency funds,” Trotter said. “We have a pot set aside. We need to catch up on donations, but we have what we call emergency Ameren Fund, then we have the County HUD Fund, then we have the City Utility Fund. We depend on the generosity of the public as well.”
Trotter said new or gently used air conditioners can be donated.
“What we are trying to do is get people to donate or gift a life by donating a new or slightly used (two-years or less) AC, and drop it off at any Vatterott College,” Trotter said.
Vatterott area locations include downtown St. Louis, Berkeley, Ladue, Clayton, Sunset Hills, St. Charles, and in Fairview Heights, Illinois (see http://www.vatterott.edu).
Trotter said monetary donations by cash, check or money order can be given to the teller at any UMB Bank in Missouri or Illinois (see https://www.umb.com/), or mail donations to Cool Down St. Louis, P.O. Box 868, St. Louis, MO 63188.
To find out more, donate or to recommend someone to Cool Down St. Louis, visit cooldownstlouis.org.
Pet care in the heat
There are precautions to take with pets as well in hot weather. For pets, health department reminds that during extreme heat, it is important that pets are in an air conditioned environment. As with children, never leave pets alone in a vehicle, and if you see a pet in an unattended vehicle, call 911.
Regularly check a pet’s water to make sure it is clean and fresh. In the heat and humidity, ample drinking water is vital to animals during these conditions. Make sure to adjust the amount of drinking for the size and number of pets in the area. Pets can be sprayed with water to cool them off. Pet owners should provide a shady spot for pets when outdoors. A pen near trees will work or fastening a sunroom screen to the sides and top of the pen will provide shade as well.
Health officials say watch for coolant leaking from vehicles, because drinking even a small amount can kill the pet.
Limit exercise with pet to the cooler early morning or evening hours and do not force an animal to exercise after a meal in hot, humid weather. Also, never leave your pet standing on asphalt surfaces, as it can burn their paws.
