Residents find ways to battle the heat

Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004 | 11:12 a.m.

For tips on beating the extreme heat, log on to the Clark County Health District's Web site at cchd.org.

National Weather Service forecasters issued an extreme heat warning today -- the second day in a row as the daytime high temperature threatened to reach 112 degrees or higher.

There is little relief in sight until the end of the week.

Las Vegas residents already had trudged around town under an extreme heat warning Tuesday when the official high was 112 degrees recorded at McCarran International Airport about 4 p.m., Weather Service meteorologist Ernie Cobb said.

Metro Police officers handed bottled water to the crowd that arrived at Thomas & Mack Center about 3 p.m. before a rally for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

For James Halsey, who inched toward Thomas & Mack with his son, 12-year-old Jimmy, to see the Democratic candidate, the heat became overwhelming, even as they sipped cold water.

Halsey, an electrician accustomed to working in Southern Nevada's summer heat, and his son left the event to watch Kerry on television at home.

"That's dangerous heat to be out in," Halsey said. "We moved 50 feet in 45 minutes."

The coroner's office reported no deaths from heat-related symptoms in the past month, through Tuesday, however.

And University Medical Center did not see a surge of health problems from the intense August heat wave, UMC spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger said.

"More than likely, we will see more than a handful of them in the emergency room and Quick Care (satellite clinics) if it continues," Persinger said.

American Medical Response ambulance service said it has already received 35 heat-related calls this month, and Southwest Ambulance said its crews have responded to five heat-related incidents in the last two days.

Las Vegas teacher Mary Scialabba said she was glad she replaced her old air-conditioner Tuesday morning before the heat soared.

"I heard a grinding noise last week," Scialabba said. The repairman came early Tuesday morning and installed the new unit, right before the extreme heat warning was issued.

"I was lucky," Scialabba said.

She was among the many area residents who apparently took authorities' advice to stay indoors with their air-conditioners cranked up. Nevada Power Co. customers broke peak use of electricity two days in a row under the sizzling sun.

Tuesday's record reached 4,933 megawatts, drawn by more than 700,000 customers at 4:36 p.m., Nevada Power spokeswoman Sonya Headen said.

The previous peak was recorded at 4,859 megawatts on Monday. Last year's peak came on July 22 with 4,808 megawatts used.

The utility said it was likely that those records will be surpassed this summer, perhaps topping 5,000 megawatts.

"It depends on the weather and the demand, as well as the growth from new customers," Headen said. In the past calendar year Nevada Power has hooked up 40,000 new customers, she said.

Last year at this time Nevada Power was serving 675,000 customers.

Nevada Power does not expect blackouts or brownouts, despite the demand, Headen said.

"Our system looks real good as far as power supply," Headen said, "unless there is a major system breakdown or a regional outage."

Plenty of other people were outside Tuesday afternoon in spite of the heat.

Sue Campbell, for example, was chasing her cocker spaniel Sandy ran around a community park on Pecos Road.

The 2-year-old dog "drinks out of the pool, out of fountains, any water she can find," Campbell said as the canine sprawled in the shade at her owner's feet after a brief run on the grass.

Campbell, an 18-year Las Vegas resident from Omaha, Neb., said she takes the dog camping almost every weekend in Utah.

As for Campbell, she seemed not to mind the heat after spending two hours sunning herself on Sunday.

"It's not that hot," she said. "I'm a sun goddess anyway."

For high school science teacher Edward Bylina, however, it was way too hot.

"About 20 degrees cooler would be my preference," Bylina said.

People at the park came loaded with bottled water, popsicles and water balloons.

Kathy King was at the park with her 13-year-old son, Elliot, for party for neighborhood children sponsored by St. Thomas More Catholic Community Center.

"I called to see if this event was still on with the extreme heat warning," King said as she stacked in the shade ice chests full of popsicles and bottled water for the 200 children and parents expected for the annual event.

Las Vegas resident Lisa Lopez, a 20-year resident of Southern Nevada, said she was trying to fill balloons with water from her garden hose before driving over to the park.

"I burned the sides of my legs trying to hold the balloons while filling them," she said. "It's 117 (degrees) in my car."

The Clark County Health District is offering tips to beat the heat, along with citing symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion, spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said.

"People should avoid being outdoors during the peak hours," Sizemore said. Typically the hottest part of the day occurs from noon to 5 p.m.

The type of heat Southern Nevada is experiencing -- 5 to 10 degrees above normal for August -- affects not only the elderly, young children and the chronically ill, but normal adults, Sizemore said.

"If people have to be out in the heat, they need to drink plenty of liquids," Sizemore said.

Dave Tonelli of the Health District said heat-related illnesses range from a simple heat rash to life-threatening heat strokes. To prevent the more serious illnesses, Tonelli said, people should drink more juices and sports drinks and avoid alcoholic beverages.

Those who feel dizzy, nauseated or weak should retreat to a cool area, rest, take a cool shower and replenish fluids, he said.

"It's a lot of common sense," Tonelli said. "But people need to be reminded."