Stay Cool During Heat Wave

The suffocating heat of the past few days continues through the weekend, and residents should take steps to protect themselves, family members and pets.

After a night that stayed in the 80s, Saturday’s temperatures are expected to reach 101 degrees—and of course, that doesn’t include the deadly heat index, which can make the air feel much warmer.

The best advice is the most obvious—get yourself into an air-conditioned room and stay there. If you don’t have air conditioning or if the power goes out, seek refuge elsewhere.

Burlington County doesn’t run cooling centers, but there are plenty of local places to head.

Try the , open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, but closed Sunday. Or head to the Moorestown Mall, open Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Enjoy a leisurely meal out at a cool restaurant (check out options here) or hang out at a coffee shop.

For a several-hour stretch of air conditioning and entertainment, head to the Moorestown Mall movie theater. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D will keep you cool the longest at two hours, 37 minutes, but buyer beware—the movie only has a 36 percent favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For not-quite-as-long, but better reviewed movies, see the two-hour, five-minute Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) or the two-hour, four-minute Captain America: The First Avenger (71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.) Winnie the Pooh might take you back to your childhood, but it’s only about an hour long.

Check in on elderly relatives or neighbors or other people vulnerable to heat illnesses during the heat wave. The most vulnerable include infants, young children, people with mental disabilities and people with physical illnesses.

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are the main weather-related problems to monitor. Heat stroke is marked by an extreme rise in body temperature where the body cannot cool down. It can be fatal or permanently disabling. Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat stroke. Call 911 if either is suspected.

To thwart these illnesses and dehydration, follow these tips from the Burlington County Department of Health:

• Avoid caffeinated beverages and alcohol, and rather drink water and sports drinks
• Avoid carbonated beverages, which can cause bloating and keep people from drinking enough fluid to rehydrate
• Wear light colored, absorbent, loose-fitting clothing
• Stay in cool, shady areas when possible, and protect your skin with sun block
• Limit your exercise. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of nonalcoholic fluids each hour

And don’t forget about your four-legged friends. During hot weather, the ASPCA recommends:

• Providing your pets with plenty to drink
• Keeping pets indoors
• Avoiding over-exercising animals and not walking them on hot asphalt, which can burn through foot pads
• Never leaving a pet in a parked car. Even with windows open, the car can reach extreme, deadly temperatures very quickly
• Securing screens on all open windows to avoid pets falling out of windows

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