GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) — With the heat index expected in the triple digits next week, doctors said you need to be careful.
Dr. John Elkes with Prisma health said if you plan to be outside, stay hydrated and take breaks often.
“Staying cool is going to be challenging,” Elkes said. “If you’re outside it’s going to be finding shade or water, finding water sources as much as you can and making sure the other regular breaks.”
Elkes said once we start to see temperatures above 90 degrees, heat exhaustion and heat stroke can happen quickly.
“The first signs of any kind of heat exhaustion are going to be very similar to dehydration,” explained Elkes. “We’re going to have a high heart rate. You may feel nauseous, feel headaches and then as it gets worse, you start to have some confusion and that’s really when it turns into heat stroke, confusion, and vomiting.”
Elkes explained one of the biggest myths when helping someone in distress: cooling down too fast.
He said, “You can’t cool someone off too fast. That’s not true. Our treatment for heatstroke is an ice bath. We plunged them right into ice as fast as we can. It’s really just getting someone’s core temperature down as fast as possible.”
Miracle Hill Ministries told us people experiencing homelessness often suffer from chronic health conditions that can be aggravated by extreme heat. To help, the Greenville Rescue Mission is opening its doors from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. any day temperatures exceed 95 degrees for anyone wanting to escape the heat.
Brian Newton, who works at Greenville Rescue Mission, said, “You know there’s very few places now where you can go in and get AC, get water, to kind of catch your breath. Heat injuries are a very serious thing, and you have to be very cautious. In fact, we like to provide a shaded area where people can come and get out of the heat and relax a little bit, use the restroom, get a snack and water in charge of their phone.”
He said this applies to all three locations, thats Greenville, Spartanburg and Cherokee.
To donate to Miracle Hill Ministries, follow this link: Give – Miracle Hill Ministries
