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Staying Safe In Georgia’s Heat Wave

As our grandmothers used to say, it is “hotter than a firecracker” right now all across Georgia.  While the heat and humidity make it difficult to enjoy outdoor summer activities and run up our power bills, the danger of heat stroke or heat related illnesses is the great cause for worry.  The young and the elderly are especially vulnerable to the heat.  In addition, your pets are also at risk for heat stroke, so don’t forget about your furry friends!  Authorities believe that an eighteen year old who fell while hiking Mount Yonah near Helen yesterday slipped and fell due to heat exhaustion, so we want to make sure all of our patrons know the warning signs of heat exhaustion and how to stay safe in this blistering weather.

For great information on staying safe in the heat, please check out our favorite resources at http://del.icio.us/creekview_hs_library/heat .

Below is a chart of heat related illnesses, their symptoms and treatment from the National Weather Service at Peachtree City:

Heat   Disorder	Symptoms	First Aid
Sunburn	Redness and pain. In severe cases, swelling of skin, blisters, fever, headaches.	Ointment for mild cases if blisters appear.  If breaking occurs, apply dry sterile dressing. Serious, extensive cases should be seen by a physician.
Heat   Cramps	Painful spasms usually in muscles of legs and abdomen possible. Heavy sweating.	Firm pressure on cramping muscles, or gentle massage to relieve spasm. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue use.
Heat   Exhaustion	Heavy sweating, weakness, skin cold, pale and clammy. Pulse thready. Normal temperature possible. Fainting and vomiting.	Get victim out of sun. Lay down and loosen clothing. Apply cool wet cloths. Fan or move victim to air conditioned room.  Sips of water.  If nausea occurs, discontinue use. If vomiting continues, seek immediate medical attention.
Heat   Stroke   (or sunstroke)	High body temperature (106°F, or higher).  Hot dry skin.  Rapid and strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness.	Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency.  Summon medical assistance or get the victim to a hospital immediately.  Delay can be fatal.  Move the victim to a cooler environment.  Reduce body temperature with cold bath or sponging.  Use extreme caution.  Remove clothing, use fans and air conditioners.  If temperature rises again, repeat process.  Do not give fluids.

 

Here are some tips from the National Weather Service in Peachtree City for staying safe in this heat:

• Slow down.  Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated, or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day.  Individuals at risk should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.  
• Dress for summer.  Lightweight, light-colored clothing reflects heat and sunlight, and helps your body maintain normal temperatures.  
• Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods (like proteins) that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.  
• Drink plenty of water or other nonalcoholic fluids.  Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty. Persons who (1) have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease, (2) are on fluid restrictive diets, or (3) have a problem with fluid retention should consult a physician before increasing their consumption of fluids.  
• Do not drink alcoholic beverages.  
• Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.  Persons on salt restrictive diets should consult a physician before increasing their salt intake.  
• Spend more time in air-conditioned places. Air conditioning in homes and other buildings markedly reduces danger from the heat. If you cannot afford an air conditioner, spending some time each day (during hot weather) in an air conditioned environment affords some protection.  
• Don’t get too much sun.  Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult. 

Stay safe and have fun this summer!

 

Tornado Strikes Atlanta; More Severe Weather Predicted Today

The Unquiet Library would like to alert our patrons to the fact that severe weather is predicted for our area today, Saturday, March 15.  It now appears a tornado struck downtown Atlanta and the Cabbagetown area last evening.  You can visit www.ajc.com or WXIA for complete coverage of last night’s horrible storm.

We urge our patrons to be weather wise and to stay tuned to local media, including the National Weather Service page out of Peachtree City, so that you can be aware of developing severe weather later today.

What should you do in the event of a severe thunderstorm or tornado?  Here is sound advice from the Tornado Safety Page from the National Weather Service in Peachtree City:

Before the Storm

• Develop a plan for you and your family for home, work, school, and when outdoors.
• Know your county and the surrounding counties in order to follow the movement of the storms.
• Have a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm tone and battery backup to receive warnings.
• Listen to local radio and television for information.
• If planning outdoor activities…monitor latest forecasts and take necessary actions if threatening weather is possible.

If a warning is issued or threatening weather approaches

• In a home or building move to a pre-designated shelter, such as a basement.
• If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior room on the lowest floor. Remember to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible.
• Stay away from windows.
• Get out of automobiles.
• Do NOT try to outrun a tornado in an automobile.
• Mobile homes, even tied down, offer little protection and should be abandoned.

Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that advance warning is not possible. Remain alert for signs of approaching storms and take the necessary precautions.

Severe Weather Awareness Week, Day 2: NOAA Radio

NOAA weather radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information direct from a nearby National Weather Service office. NOAA weather radio broadcasts National Weather Service watches, warnings, forecasts, and other hazard information 24 hours a day.

Some weather radios are equipped with a special tone feature, which can sound an alert and give you immediate information about a life threatening situation. During an emergency, the National Weather Service will interrupt routine weather radio programming and send out a special tone that activates weather radios in the warning area. Recently, a radio that can handle the Emergency Alert Signal was introduced. The Specific Area Message Encoder (SAME) tone alert can be set up to only sound for your county. This cuts down on the number of unwanted tones you receive, and alerts you only when a life threatening situation is in your county.

In Georgia, there are 23 transmitters broadcasting throughout the state. Seven frequencies are reserved for NOAA weather radio on the public service band. These frequencies range between 162.400 megahertz and 162.550 megahertz. Broadcast range is approximately 40 miles, but the effective range depends on terrain, quality of the receiver, and indoor/outdoor antennas. Before buying a receiver, make sure your area is covered by a transmitter.

Coming up tomorrow:  a timely topic….thunderstorm safety!  

Severe Weather Awareness Week, February 3-9: Day 1, Family Preparedness

Those of us who have lived in Cherokee County have many memories of severe weather events here.  Some of our worst storms have occurred in February and March in recent years.

This week marks National Severe Weather Awareness Week.  What is the purpose of this week?  According to the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, “Severe Weather Awareness Week is designed to provide information about the types of sever weather that affect Georgia and what to do in the event that severe weather occurs.”  To explore interesting statistics and historical data about severe weather in North Georgia, be sure to check out the Severe Storm Climatology Page. 

A statewide tornado drill will be held on Wednesday, February 6, 2008.  This week would be a great opportunity to review tornado drill procedures with your teachers so that you know what to do in the event of a tornado in our area while you are at school.

Today’s severe weather theme for Sunday, February 3, 2008 is Family Preparedness.  Here is advice from the National Weather Service on how to make sure you and your family are prepared for severe weather:

Families should be prepared for any type of hazard that could affect their area. The best way to do this is to develop a family disaster plan. Here are a few steps your family should consider when developing a family disaster plan:

1. Gather information about hazards.
Contact the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, the local emergency management office, or an American Red Cross chapter in your area. Find out what type of disasters could occur and how to respond. Also, it is a good idea to learn your community’s warning signals and evacuation plans. 

2. Meet with your family to create a plan.

• Discuss the information gathered.
• Pick two places to meet: a spot outside of your home for an emergency such as a fire, and a place outside of your neighborhood in case you can’t return home.
• Choose an out-of-state friend or relative as a check-in contact for everyone to call if the family gets separated.
• Finally, discuss what to do if the family is evacuated. 

3. Implement your plan.

• Post emergency numbers by phones.
• Install safety features in your home (smoke detectors and fire extinguishers).
• Inspect your home for potential hazards (look for items that can fall or catch fire) and correct them.
• Have your family learn basic safety measures, such as how to use a fire extinguisher, and how to turn off the water, gas, and electricity in your home.
• Teach children how & when to call 911 or another emergency services number.
• Keep supplies in your home to meet your needs for at least three days.
• Assemble a disaster supplies kit with items you may need during an evacuation and store the supplies in sturdy containers. This kit should include water, food that won’t spoil, one day of clothing a blanket for each person, a first aid kit, prescription drugs, tools, batteries, a flashlight, and some extra money.
• Protect any important documents in water proof containers.

 4. Practice and maintain your plan. Quiz your family to make sure they remember meeting places, phone numbers, and safety rules. Conduct practice drills.