MEMPHIS, Tenn. — These hot, humid Mid-South temperatures are proving to be dangerous, and there have been several cases of heat exhaustion in recent days, including one downtown at Beale Street Landing on Tuesday.
It’s obvious to drink lots of water and stay in the shade, but the truth is, anyone who will spend a lot of time outside actually needs to start preparing the day before.
Temperatures are often in the 90s with humidity making it feel like triple digits. These dangerous conditions are ideal to cause heat exhaustion.
There have been several cases in Shelby County just in the last few days.
Around 5 p.m. Tuesday, someone collapsed from the heat at Beale Street Landing and had to be loaded into an ambulance.
The fire department didn’t say what lead up to the incident, but frequent runners like Logan Boles know the drill.
“I just try to keep hydrated,” Boles said.
To prevent heat exhaustion, experts say you should drink lots of water, avoid alcohol, wear loose clothing and try to stay in the shade. And if you’re going to be spending the day outside, you need to start drinking water the day before, which is something many people may not know.
“I don’t actually start the day before but at least the day of.”
The signs of heat exhaustion are often counter-intuitive, for example, if you’ve been sweating, and you suddenly stop.
If anyone does experience heat exhaustion, try to find some shade, water and A/C if possible.
It’s best to not take any chances.
