Goodbye, Irene! Hello heat: How to stop heat stroke

From Texas to New York, Mother Nature can be a bear!

Irene brought the torrential rains that Texas missed in the past months to the City-that-Never-Sleep’s! The 24-hour cable news networks worked at full speed to deliver the latest storm tracking with live shots from North Carolina beachfront property on up to Battery Park. The heavy rain drenched the city after a grey cloud filled the sky at about 8pm. A foggy calm before the storm (see “before and after” photos) led to nearly 24 hours of rain and strong winds with local flooding, fallen trees, power outages and storm surges over the piers and seawalls. A busy mass transit system shut down and mass evacuations of low lying levels within Manhattan took place for the first time in the city’s history in a "better safe than sorry" approach.

It’s interesting how Mother Nature can have such an acute and dramatic effect on the lives of so many. This post was going to be solely about avoiding heat stroke in Austin (besides jumping in Barton Springs...) after months of drought. Then the next thing you know, an earthquake shocks the Northeast, followed by the huge East Coast storm named Irene. What is going on, and dare I say (without political intonation for the Al Gore versus Rick Perry camps)...is this global warming? With Austin experiencing such record high temperatures with zero percent chance of rain and 109 degrees expected on Monday (really?), heat stroke is very much a timely topic to be highlighted despite hurricane season. So goodbye, Irene, because Texans need to know how to manage this heat.

In such hot and dry conditions as Austin has seen lately, it is important to know how to treat someone who is the victim of heatstroke, or hyperthermia, where the body temperature rises to a dangerously high level.  Infants, the elderly, athletes, and outdoor workers are the groups at greatest risk for heat stroke.

Victims of heat stroke must receive immediate treatment since it is a medical emergency. First and foremost, cool the victim!

• Get the person to a shady area, remove clothing, apply cool water to the skin, fan the victim to promote evaporation, and place ice packs under armpits and groin.
• If the person is able to drink liquids, have them drink cool water or other cool beverages that do not contain alcohol or caffeine.
• Monitor body temperature with a thermometer and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101 to 102 F (38.3 to 38.8 C).
• Always notify emergency services (911) immediately. If their arrival is delayed, they can give you further instructions for treatment of the victim.

How can heat stroke be prevented?

• The most important measures to prevent heat strokes are to avoid becoming dehydrated and to avoid vigorous physical activities in very hot and humid weather.
• If you have to perform physical activities in hot weather, drink plenty of fluids (such as water and sports drinks), but avoid alcohol and caffeine which can worsen dehydration.
• Your body will need replenishment of electrolytes (such as sodium) as well as fluids if you sweat excessively or perform vigorous activity in the sunlight for prolonged periods.
• Take frequent breaks to hydrate yourself. Wear hats and light-colored, lightweight, loose clothes.
• Keep cars locked when not in use and never leave infants or children unattended in a car.