Take precautions, keep cool in heat wave

MOSES LAKE - It's hot outside. And - given that it seemed to be raining or cloudy most of the month of June - maybe it's about time, too. It's summer, it's been cold, and people are itching to get outdoors.

Heidi Melcher, of Moses Lake, and her friends Jeff and Dawn Robinson, of Federal Way, hit the lake at Connelly Park, Jet Skis in tow. It was also a goodbye party for Melcher's exchange student Theodor Hellesvik and his dad Knut Jenssen, before they returned to Norway Saturday.

Hellesvik spent the 2012-13 school year at Moses Lake High School, and liked it, he said, despite breaking his wrist playing on the school's tennis team. In fact he wasn't all that ready to go back home to Norway, he said.

Matt Phelps said he got off work, went home for a while and then got the family together for an afternoon at the beach. The first really sunny day in a while, Phelps said, and a good day to play in the water. "Since all that rainy weather, some fun outside," said Phelps' girlfriend Chelsie Loeffler.

But hot weather, especially when temperatures skyrocket from the mid-70s to 100-plus in less than a week, should inspire people to take a few precautions, according to the Grant County Health District.

"Infants and young children are especially sensitive to the effects of extreme heat and rely on others to keep them safe," said Theresa Adkinson, public information officer for the health district.

When it's super-hot, Mom and Dad should choose loose, lightweight, light colored clothing for the little kids, Adkinson said. Children should be drinking lots of water and wearing sunscreen, she said.

Senior citizens also are at increased risk in hot weather, especially if they live alone or don't have air-conditioning, she said. Neighbors and relatives should visit seniors regularly, twice a day if possible, and encourage drinking extra cool (and non-alcoholic) beverages as their diet allows.

In fact everyone should be drinking lots of cool beverages in hot weather, but not alcoholic drinks, Adkinson said, and it's best to cut down on the caffeine. Everybody, regardless of age, should wear light-colored and lightweight clothing in super-hot weather. Nobody, including the family pets, should be left in a parked car during really hot weather.

People who spend time outdoors in really hot weather should stay alert for signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness, Adkinson said. Body temperatures can rise to more than 100 degrees within 10 to 15 minutes in a heat stroke situation. Heat exhaustion is milder, and usually develops after several days of exposure to high temperatures.

A person suffering from heat stress should receive medical attention as soon as possible, but there are remedies that can and should be used while waiting for the ambulance.

Anybody in heat distress should be moved out of the sun and their body cooled down by whatever methods possible, whether its water from a garden hose or a tub of cool water. Body temperature should be monitored until it drops to 101 to 102 degrees, Adkinson said.