Eric Shuford said experience has taught him how to cope with North Carolina's heat.
"You just use common sense," Shuford said. "If you're outside and it's hot, you don't stand in the sun. If you feel really hot, you come in where there's air conditioning. Or, back in the old days when we didn't have air conditioners, then you went to the movies."
Shuford said he stays cool by avoiding outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day and by keeping hydrated.
"One of the nice things about living in the South is we have something called Iced tea, and Iced tea is really good about keeping you cool," he said.
His daughter, Kim Bradley, also helps care for older adults through Senior Helpers. She said staying cool, drinking plenty of fluids and recognizing the warning signs of heat illness are among the most important safety measures.
"I try to make sure he's not doing his activities he always does, like cutting the grass in the middle of the day, and that he's doing activities early in the morning, or in the evening after the sun is set," Bradley said about her father.
Health experts also encourage people to stay connected with older family members, friends and neighbors and to check on them frequently during periods of extreme heat. They say preparation and awareness can help prevent heat-related illnesses.
Despite the hot conditions, some Wake County residents still exercised outdoors Wednesday morning before temperatures climbed higher. Among them was Rizwan Shahzad, who said he took steps to stay hydrated before his walk.
"Before I started, I had a lot of water," Shahzad said.
Shahzad completed his walk before the heat peaked. He said the triple-digit feels-like temperatures have made for an unusually hot start to September.
"It is quite surprising," Shahzad said. "I moved here 2014 and this first September, which is so hot actually, otherwise, September was kind of mild in my experience."
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