Tuesday, July 22, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.
The Clark County Health District and the National Institutes of Health suggest' these tips for those vulnerable to heat, especially senior citizens, very youn' children and those who are ill:
Check on elderly family members and friends when the weather is hot.
Drink plenty of water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Water, fruit and vegetable juices are best.
If someone is suffering from heat stress or heat fatigue, cramps and dizziness get the victim out of the sun, preferably into an air conditioned space,offer fluids, encourage the individual to shower or bathe with cool water and lie down and rest in a cool place.
Heatstroke is especially dangerous and usually indicated by a person with a body temperature above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, symptoms of confusion, combativeness, fainting, staggering, rapid pulse, lack of sweating,possible delirium or coma. This is a medical emergency.
Lucy Robertson, a Las Vegas resident since 1969, said there is only one way to avoid the torrid temperatures: Stay inside.
As electricity demands continue to break records and temperatures turn the Las Vegas Valley's air into a blast furnace, residents like Robertson sought air conditioned havens, such as the Green Valley Library, where she met with friends Monday night.
The heat is also exacerbating smog problems. Clark County Air Quality officials issued an ozone advisory Monday for the elderly, young children and those with lung problems such as asthma and bronchitis.
On Monday the temperature reached 112 degrees, one degree shy of the record of 113 degrees set on July 21, 1942, National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Fuis said.
The overnight low temperature was the highest ever recorded, 87 degrees. The previous record was 84 degrees recorded in 1962, Fuis said.
Nevada Power Co. customers also set a record for electricity usage -- 4,808 megawatts at 4 p.m., utility spokeswoman Andrea Smith said Monday. It was the third time this summer that a new record for electricity usage had been set, she said.
Nevada Power's 675,000 customers broke the record on July 11 with 4,789 megawatts and with 4,617 megawatts on July 10, she said.
Actually, customer growth in addition to hot temperatures have driven demand. A year ago the customer base was about 630,000 customers, Smith said.
While Reno was under a "yellow alert" from Sierra Pacific Power Co., which requested customers to conserve electricity, Nevada Power reported normal operations with no supply or transmission problems.
A yellow alert is issued when demand for electricity could exceed available supplies.
Nevada Power is aware of those least able to help themselves, Smith said.
For people who rely on medical equipment powered by electricity, Nevada Power has a Green Cross program that alerts utility repair crews if there is an outage. Those who file a doctor's report with Nevada Power will not get disconnected and are first in line for repairs in case of an outage, Smith said.
"People in the field don't go door to door, but they keep their eyes open," Smith said.
Through Monday night, there had not been any heat-related deaths reported by authorities this summer.
But there were plenty of people suffering as overworked air-conditioners gave out throughout the valley. At 8 p.m., Wellington Santana, an air-conditioning repair man with Fromhart Brothers AirMax contractors, was clambering down from a roof in southeast Las Vegas as his beeper went off repeatedly.
"I've got 15 more (service) calls waiting already," he said as he mopped the sweat off his face. "I'll be working until at least midnight tonight."
Robertson, a former Clark County employee, said Monday night that the heat of previous summers seemed to have been more bearable for her.
"It was so dry, even though it was miserable," Robertson said.
Monday was particularly miserable for people with respiratory problems. Clark County officials issued an ozone advisory Monday afternoon after four monitoring sites in the northwest part of the valley reported elevated levels of ozone, spokeswoman Stacey Welling said.
The advisory was in effect through sunset on Monday.
Ozone, a key ingredient forming urban smog in summer's heat when stagnant weather, strong sunlight and fumes from vehicle exhausts, paints and other volatile gases combine, can affect active children and adults outdoors, Welling said.
Under an air quality advisory, people should limit prolonged exposure to ozone outdoors.
archive
