SHELTERS OPEN FOR HEAT RELIEF; TEMPERATURES AGAIN TODAY WILL BE IN 90s

Three emergency shelters are open in Cape Girardeau County to help residents beat the unrelenting heat.

Monday's high reached 98 degrees in Cape Girardeau, and the heat index reached 105. Southeast Missouri remains under a heat advisory because of high temperatures coupled with high humidity.

Heat shelters opened Tuesday and are scheduled to be open today and Thursday.

In Cape Girardeau, the Osage Centre and the Cape Senior Center will be open from noon to 6 p.m. In Jackson, New McKendree Church Cox Hall will be open during the same hours.

Depending on the weather, additional days will be scheduled for the heat shelters, said Mary Burton, executive director of the local American Red Cross chapter.

In Cape Girardeau, families are encouraged to visit the Osage Centre and senior citizens are encouraged to visit the Senior Center, Burton said.

"We will keep the shelters open through the heat of the day," Burton said.

"There is supposed to be some relief this week on Friday," Burton said. "But if the need is there, we'll continue."

Opening weather-related shelters is something the Red Cross does frequently across the country. Often the shelters are needed in cases of ice storms and flooding.

The heat poses a threat also, said Charlotte Craig, administrator of the Cape Girardeau County Health Department. It is important to have an air-conditioned facility available during a heat wave, she said.

While fans do a good job of drawing cool air into a home in the evening, fans can actually add to the heat threat during daytime hours, Craig explained.

As the air temperature rises above 100 degrees, a fan can add to the body's heat rather than cool it. The fan delivers overheated air to the skin at a rate that exceeds the body's ability to get rid of the heat, even with sweating.

One heat-related illness was reported in Cape Girardeau County Monday, bringing the total locally to three during the heat wave that set in Saturday.

Health officials hope to keep that number low by opening the heat shelters.

"We needed to open them up before people get sick," Burton said. "We don't want to wait until people are ill before taking action. We need to do prevention."

Burton said the decision to open heat shelters was made jointly with the Cape Girardeau County Health Department and emergency preparedness officers in the city and county.

"Now we are working to make sure everyone is in the know," Burton said.

The forecast today calls for sunny skies with highs again near 95. There is a 30 percent chance for showers tonight. Thursday's high should be around 90 with a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Highs Friday and Saturday are expected to be in the high 80s with thunderstorms possible.

Rides available

Anyone who needs transportation to a cool shelter, including those who live in rural parts of the county, may call the Red Cross at (573) 335-9471.