PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (WCAX) – The oppressive heat this week comes as schools are letting out across the region and many people are looking to get outside. But Clinton County health officials are reminding folks of the dangers that come with activity during heat waves.
“Hiking the High Peaks in temperatures like this is not recommended,” said Julia Goren with the Adirondack Mountain Club. She says they’re advising hikers to keep off the trails as the heat dome descends on the North Country.
Molly Flynn with the Clinton County Health Department says upwards of 2,000 people died last year from heat-related illnesses in the U.S.. “When temperatures are in the extreme like we are about to experience, sometimes just sweating alone isn’t enough to bring that body temperature down,” she said. Flynn says those the most at risk to heat illnesses include older adults, children, people with chronic conditions, those who work outdoors, and athletes. “Feeling nauseous, having headaches, muscle cramping, feeling tired, weak or dizzy, you know, typically those are the things that would happen.”
The two most common forms of heat illnesses include heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The former, Flynn says, can treated without a hospital visit. “You want to move them to a cool place and loosen their clothing and then try to bring their body temperature down, either with cold wash clothes or put them in a cold bath if you can and then have them sip on water just a bit,” she said. Heat Stroke requires a visit to the emergency room. “If it is somebody outside and you can get air conditioning, get them in that air-conditioned vehicle while you wait for help to arrive. In that case, you actually do not want to give that person anything to drink in that moment.”
An extreme heat health scare that Goren says could mean death. “It’s not just discomfort, it is not just being a little extra sweaty, you could actually kill yourself in temperatures like this,” she said.
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