It's one simmering weekend

It’s going to be another broiling day Saturday…and Sunday, too, with temperatures expected to top 100 degrees both days. There is a chance for some Sunday afternoon showers, but if you need to stay cool in Midtown, you might want to consider the Piedmont Park Aquatic Center.

It will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. General admission for adults is (17-54) $4; seniors (55 & over) $2; children (6-16) $2; and children (5 and under) $1.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, extreme heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the U.S, claiming approximately 400 lives across the nation. In fact, excessive heat typically claims more lives each year than floods, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes combined, so it is best to prepare now to reduce your risk of heat-related illness.

Here are 10 tips from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency’s (GEMA) Ready Georgia campaign to help beat the heat in the coming days:  

• Insulate your home by installing weather stripping around your doors and window sills to keep the cool air inside.
• Stay indoors in air-conditioned spaces as much as possible and limit exposure to the sun.
• Dress in loose-fitting, lightweight and light-colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible.
• Familiarize yourself with the medical conditions that can result from over-exposure to heat, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke to help lessen health threats and harm.
• Avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day. Use a buddy system when working in extreme heat, and take frequent breaks.
• Never leave children or pets alone in closed vehicles.
• Postpone outdoor activities and take shelter in a home, building or hard top automobile if severe weather is headed your way.
• Make sure pets have plenty of water and shade, be careful to not over-exercise them, and keep them indoors when it's extremely hot.
• Conserve water in your household to help prevent drought: wash only full loads of dishes and laundry, fix household leaks and install low-flow toilets and showerheads.
• Closely monitor a local radio station, TV station or NOAA Weather Radio for the latest information on excessive heat watches and warnings. Ready Georgia is currently hosting a contest for the chance to win a free weather radio, so visit the Ready Georgia website and create a Ready profile for a chance to win.

Georgians can find this information and more at www.ready.ga.gov.  The website offers an interactive preparedness tool to create custom checklists of emergency supplies and tailored family plans. For preparedness on the go, families can also download Ready Georgia’s free mobile app.

Meanwhile,, the Red Cross has provided signs of what to look for with heat exhaustion and what to do to help:

· Heat cramps are muscular pains and spasms that usually occur in the legs orabdomen caused by exposure to high heat and humidity and loss of fluids and electrolytes. Heat cramps are often an early sign that the body is having trouble with the heat.

· Heat exhaustion typically involves the loss of body fluids through heavy sweating during strenuous exercise or physical labor in high heat and humidity. Signs of heat exhaustion include cool, moist, pale or flushed skin; heavy sweating; headache; nausea; dizziness; weakness; and exhaustion

· Move the person to a cooler place. Remove or loosen tight clothing and apply cool, wet cloths or towels to the skin. Fan the person. If the person is conscious, give small amounts of cool water to drink. Make sure the person drinks slowly. Watch for changes in condition.

· If the person refuses water, vomits or begins to lose consciousness, call 9-1-1or the local emergency number. Heat stroke (also known as sunstroke) is a life-threatening condition in which a person’s temperature control system stops working and the body is unable to cool itself.

· Signs of heat stroke include hot, red skin, which may be dry or moist; changes in consciousness; vomiting; and high body temperature.

· Heat stroke is life-threatening. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number immediately. Move the person to a cooler place. Quickly cool the person’s body by giving care as you would for heat exhaustion. If needed, continue rapid cooling by applying ice or cold packs wrapped in a cloth to the wrists, ankles, groin, and neck and armpits.

To see additional guidelines in the publication, “Be Red Cross Ready:  Heat Wave Safety Checklist, visit www.RedCross.org.