NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The hot sun is shining its wicked rays down upon us.
“I feel like the wicked witch, like I’m melting. It is very hot out here,” Angela Maone said.
On the hottest days of the year so far, Angela Maone is feeling the heat and she knows she needs to beat it.
“I’m definitely going to take a shower. Maybe more,” she said.
Dr. Jeffrey Elder at LCMC Health says folks like Angela who are spending time outdoors, they need to stay extra heat aware.
“If you’re feeling faint, clammy, muscle cramps, that’s the point when you need to get out of the heat. Get into air conditioning, start to cool off, drink fluids, to see if you feel better. If you don’t feel better then it is time to come in and get checked out,” Dr. Elder said.
He went on to say, “It requires quick action to cool off the body, at that point the body can no longer deal with heat stress. When we have extreme heat emergency days like today, you really need to stay on top of this on the front end, if you get behind it, you’re never going to really catch up.”
Staying aware can help prevent heat stress from escalating to heat stroke.
As always doctors recommend drinking plenty of water or Gatorade or Powerade before, during, and after you are spending time outdoors.