How to keep cool as things heat up

Don't let the recent rainfall fool you -- summer is still on the way, and this is still Missouri.

Summer around here can become dangerously hot, and with the heat comes the yearly threat of heat-related illness. The National Weather Service and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration have begun a joint campaign to warn meteorologists across the country that summer is about to heat up.

Dr. Jesse Hoff works at Saint Francis Medical Center, and is familiar with how extreme heat affects the body.

"There are different heat-related illnesses," he said. "Most are relatively mild like heat rashes, heat cramps and heat exhaustion, but heat stroke is a severe emergency state."

Heat stroke happens when the body's core temperature rises above 104 degrees, and can cause organ damage as well as damage to the central nervous system.

Floating on the Lazy River on Monday was one way to stay a little cooler on a hot day at Cape Splash in Cape Girardeau. (Fred Lynch)

Hoff said the most vulnerable people are those older than 65 or younger than 15, and prevention is key when the weather heats up.

"Pay attention to your symptoms," he said. "As soon as you feel yourself suffering from the heat, get away from the heat."

Light-colored clothing, rest and water are all recommended to help the body's natural cooling processes, according to SoutheastHEALTH. Hoff also said certain medications, such as antihistamines and some blood pressure prescriptions, can affect sweating, increasing a person's susceptibility to heat.

Some local organizations offer relief to those who are most vulnerable to heat-related illness. Cape Girardeau's Parks and Recreation Department invites residents to come and cool off in one of its recreation centers during the summer.

"We do get a lot of people who sit and cool off for a bit and then go back to whatever they were doing," parks department manager Brock Davis said. "Our facilities are air-conditioned and we do keep them pretty cooled."

Anyone interested can cool off at the Osage Centre, Shawnee Park Center and the Arena Building.

The Salvation Army usually redistributes donated fans to those without air conditioning during the summer, but this year's donations have been few and far between. The organization has a waiting list with 61 families on it and zero fans to offer.

Salvation Army worker Tina Rodgers said she doesn't know what has caused the dearth, but hopes to receive some donations before the weather gets hotter.

"Maybe people don't know there's still a need," she said. "Even if someone received a fan last year, they sometimes break."

She said the last donation was a month ago, and that she's not sure where they will find fans.

"Last year we gave out about a hundred fans, but this year we've only had a few donated," she explained. "Our funding has gone down recently and to be able to buy them ourselves -- the funding just isn't there."

The Salvation Army also operates as a cooling center at its Good Hope Street location.

tgraef@semissourian.com

Pertinent address:

410 Kiwanis Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

835 S. West End Blvd., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

1625 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

701 Good Hope St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.