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| Home > Media > July
9th Cooling Center |
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News
Release - Kings County Department of Health
Contact Keith Winkler
(559) 584-1411 - July 9, 2008
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Cooling
Center in Hanford Opens
While
no emergency declaration has been issued, the County
of Kings, in connection with the Salvation Army,
is opening a Cooling Center at the Salvation Army
Office at 380 E. Ivy in Hanford.
The Cooling Center
at the Salvation Army will be open from 8:00 a.m.
through 8:00 p.m.
today, Thursday (July 10th) and
Friday (July 11th).
For Information regarding the Cooling
Center, please
call 584-1401, extension 0
(for the operator).
CDC
- Extreme Heat | Link
to Extreme Heat Info on Kings County Web Site |
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| High
Temperatures: |
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High
temperatures of 100° F to 104° F
are common here and rarely cause health problems,
especially given the usual low humidity in the
Valley. However, extreme heat with temperatures
much above 105° F can be life-threatening.
Kings County Health Officer Dr. Michael Mac Lean,
stated that in the last ten years, heat waves
have resulted in more weather-related fatalities
in the U.S. annually than any other natural disaster
(about 400 deaths per year). Global climate change
may increase the risk to human health due to
heat. July 2006 was the second hottest July on
record. The National Weather Service reported
that temperatures exceeded 110° F in Hanford
on four consecutive days that month. That July
heat wave resulted in the deaths of at least
140 people in California.
Dr. Mac Lean (Kings County Health Officer) emphasized
that these deaths could have been prevented.
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Kings
County has adopted an Extreme Heat Emergency
Plan. The plan includes a list of cool places
in each community – air conditioned locations
willing to accept people trying to avoid extreme
heat. It includes guidelines for Kings County
to declare a local heat emergency when daytime
temperatures are predicted to exceed 105° F
for at least two days and not drop below 80° F
at night. When activated, the plan would inform
residents about the locations of cool places they
can go to and recommend curtailment of outdoor
activities when possible. |
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Dr. Mac Lean pointed out that some people are
especially susceptible to the effects of heat,
including people over 65 years of age, very young
children less than a year old, people doing outside
work or participating in outdoor sports, overweight
persons, and people with certain medical conditions
or who are taking certain medications. |
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To avoid heat-related illness during extreme
heat waves, individuals are urged to take the
following precautions: |
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- Use your air conditioner at least
four hours a day or visit air conditioned buildings.
- Take
cool showers.
- Run fans with a mist.
- Open your windows for
a few hours in the evening when the temperature
cools down.
- Wear cool, light-colored clothing.
- Go for
a swim.
- Ask your health care provider if your
medications or health conditions increase
your risk to excessive heat.
- Drink
water – at least three to four
quarts a day. Don’t rely on
your thirst to tell you when
to drink.
- In the event of an
electric power outage, there may be no tap
water available.
Store a 3 to 5 day supply of water at a gallon per person per
day. Use food-grade plastic
or glass containers for storing water
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Be
Responsible - Be Ready - Be Prepared!
Your Emergency Preparedness
Team
Kings County Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management
280 Campus Drive Hanford, CA 93230
(559) 582-3211, Ext. 2634
www.kingscountyoem.com |
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