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Start Of Summer Brings Excessive Heat WarningNJOEM and New Jersey Department of Health Offer Safety TipsWEST TRENTON N.J. – The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management is monitoring an excessive heat warning forecast for tomorrow into Friday, in coordination with the National Weather Service. Temperatures and heat indexes are estimated to hit in the upper 90’s, and possibly even reach 100 degrees or higher. Children, older adults, people with disabilities and pets are most at risk during excessive temperatures. "High temperatures and humid conditions have the possibility of making outdoor activities and non air-conditioned facilities extremely dangerous and uncomfortable," said Colonel Rick Fuentes, State Police superintendent and director of the Office of Emergency Management. "Be mindful of the threats that heat waves pose such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and sometimes death. These threats can be minimized and eliminated if we practice heat-related precautions and guidelines." "The elderly and children are the most susceptible to heat stroke and exhaustion, although anyone can be affected," added New Jersey Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd. "Hot, dry skin, an absence of sweat and a rapid and strong pulse, are all signs of heat stroke. If you have elderly family members, friends or neighbors, be sure to check in on them to make sure they are keeping cool, especially if they live alone." Colonel Fuentes and Commissioner O’Dowd suggest the following heat related emergency safety tips:
Additionally, residents should contact their local and/or county offices of emergency management regarding any open air-conditioned senior centers or cooling stations. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, older adults and people with disabilities are more at risk for heat because they do not adjust as well as young people to sudden changes in temperature; they are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat; and they are more likely to take prescription medicines that impair the body’s ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibit perspiration. The CDC also offers the following tips for older adults, persons with disabilities and/or their caregivers:
Heat is often referred to as the “silent killer,” in contrast to tornados, hurricanes and other natural hazards with more dramatic visual effects. For more information regarding heat related emergencies, please log on to www.ready.nj.gov, visit the National Weather Service Heat Safety Page (http://www.weather.gov/om/heat/index.shtml), or call 2-1-1.
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