SACRAMENTO, Calif — A dangerous heat wave is expected to hit Northern California for the Labor Day holiday weekend.
ABC10's weather team anticipates an excessive heat watch will be in effect starting Saturday and lasting through next Tuesday. Peak highs will hit Saturday through Labor Day with highs from 105-115° in the valley and 90-104° in the hills and mountains.
A Flex Alert was issued Wednesday, Aug. 31, from 4-9 p.m. This means people across the area are being called on to conserve power during hot weather when the power grid may be strained.
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ABC10 spoke with UC Davis medical expert Dr. Sheri Belafski about heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and ways to stay safe in the heat.
Q: What are some of the basic symptoms or signs of heat stroke, or heat exhaustion?
A: "I like to describe the symptoms of heat-related illness as kind of a spectrum. Some of the early warning signs... so those would be associated more with, say, heat cramps or heat exhaustion, and those would be fatigue, excessive sweating, headache, nausea. Those are kind of the classic signs, your body's giving you a warning that you need to do something different. Then, if those symptoms progress, if we don't see those symptoms and we continue to exert ourselves outside, then we can progress to a much more dangerous situation known as heat stroke. That's when we can actually see signs of cognitive changes where people become confused, disoriented, they can lose consciousness, or even have a seizure. The skin at that point is often dry, so we don't even see a lot of sweating at that point and it's also associated with a very high body temperature."
Q: What would be the correct procedure if somebody notices that they may be experiencing some of those early signs of heat exhaustion?
A: "That's exactly when we want people to take action. Really, I would say the first thought is stop. Stop what it is that I'm doing outside in the heat, I really want to go take shade, I want to get to someplace cooler. If I'm wearing extra layers of clothing, I want to remove those. I want to drink something cool and I want to take rest. Hopefully, with those measures, my symptoms would get better. If they don't, that's the time to call your doctor and go seek help."
Q: What if you're with another person and they're experiencing heat exhaustion to the point where they may be past that? What would a person do in that circumstance?
A: "I think that, immediately, you would want to call 911. If you are with someone and they've experienced fainting or any of those other more severe symptoms -- the confusion or like you said, a loss of consciousness, suddenly they're not responding, they don't seem right -- that's your moment to call 911. You really want to take immediate action."
Q: How much would you say would be the recommended amount of hydration as far as a heatwave this severe?
A: "For that, we could really lean on Cal OSHA's guidelines with [what they are] recommending for workers who are outdoors in high temperatures. That would include one quart of water per hour."
Q: What about people with dogs, when you know the temperatures are over 100 degrees like this, what would you suggest to them?
A: "I'm so glad that you brought that up because dogs, in a similar way to people, can have certain conditions that put them at increased risk for having a heat-related illness. So if your dog is older, if your dog has a flat face, so it doesn't pant as easily... If your dog is overweight, those are all reasons that you would really want to make sure that you're keeping your dog in an air-conditioned space during the day. You want to make sure you're always providing your dog with fresh water, but you really want to be very careful. Make sure that bowl is always filled with fresh cool water."
Q: As far as people that like to take their pets out for walks during the day, what would you suggest to them?
A: "Just like with people, I would really recommend that people get out early in the morning while the weather is coolest. If you are going to take your pet out later on in the day, just because it's needed, I would really be mindful of where you're taking them. Watch out for asphalt surfaces that can get extremely hot, they can actually burn paws, so you really want to try to take your pet on the shadiest walk possible and I would keep those brief, and then take them out again in the evening hours once it's cooled off again."
Q: What would you suggest overall, as far as suggestions of what people can do to prepare for this heatwave for themselves, for their families, and just to make sure everybody's safe and taking the correct precautions?
A: "I think one of the most important things that we can do is to focus on our most vulnerable people, our most vulnerable populations. So, in the family, that might be our older family members, like grandparents. Certainly, if we have family members who are older and living alone, we want to be checking up on them... Also, for our youngest family members, I would recommend that you take similar precautions. If they need to be active and get outside, do that earlier in the day, make sure that they're getting plenty of fluids, and that the hottest part of the day that they should also be inside or in the air conditioning. I think one of the ways that we can do this best is by using the buddy system... so that if I'm not living with -- whether it's an elderly neighbor or family member -- I'm calling and I'm also encouraging that older family member to call me and check in during the day. I think that Cal OSHA also gives us that direction for workers as well. In high-heat circumstances, employers are required to initiate a buddy system where workers are checking in with each other or watching for symptoms and signs so they can help one another, or they need to at least be calling and checking in by phone or by text to make sure that people are feeling okay and that they're getting enough hydration throughout the day."
Q: Are some people more susceptible to heat-related illnesses and others like immunocompromised people, for example?
A: "Absolutely. There are some conditions that have put us at higher risk for heat-related illness. For example, some underlying health conditions such as heart disease and kidney disease, conditions that affect your circulation. But also taking certain medications, such as blood pressure medications, or other medications that prevent us from sweating properly, can all make us a greater risk for heat-related illness. Another condition that puts us at greater risk for heat-related illness is a lack of being acclimatized, or if I'm new to an area or new to a type of work -- so I haven't been outside exercising, or working in the heat. My body just hasn't adjusted to it yet. It usually takes at least a few weeks, so I think that's another important thing to keep in mind. Personal risk factors to think about are health conditions, medications that we take, consuming caffeine or alcohol that can be dehydrating, and also the type of clothing that we're wearing and the type of activity."
Q: What about folks with diabetes? Does it affect them at all?
A: "Yes, absolutely. People with diabetes are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, so they should take in particular extra precautions and make sure that they're drinking more water than they normally would, and they should really take it easy and stay inside in the cool as much as they can."
Q: What are some examples of drinks that people shouldn't drink to stay hydrated?
A: "I think that for many people, they're used to feeling that surge of energy when they drink an energy drink. That's from the caffeine content and caffeine -- like alcohol -- is a diuretic, so that's actually going to be doing the opposite effect as hydrating. We'd really want to avoid energy drinks entirely, I would avoid soda and I would choose water or Gatorade instead. Most of us don't actually require a lot of Gatorade to replenish our electrolytes, it's only those people who are outdoors and exerting themselves for many hours."
