High temperatures draw attention to heat safety and need for fans, AC units
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As temperatures climb back into the 90s, Gov. Josh Stein has declared this week North Carolina Heat Safety Week, amid surging demand for ways to stay cool.
"The need is real," said Helping Hand Mission founder and CEO Sylvia Wiggins.
Wiggins said her team has been fielding calls from people seeking fans, viewed as a cost-effective way to avoid rising energy costs.
"You run a house (with) heat and air. If you (turn) that heat and air on, your electric bill going to be out the bing bang, so they don't even (turn) it on. They just want a fan," Wiggins said.
Efforts have been further complicated by a fire on-site in March that destroyed an estimated 200 to 300 units.
"Everybody's trying to make it work and do what it takes to alleviate, to help their family," Wiggins said.
Wake County's Cool for Wake program is facing similar demand. Seasonal Program Manager Vielka Maria Gabriel said the program has already seen a rush of calls.
"We just kicked off on May 1, and we already have had well over 100 people contact us to be able to access fans and air conditioners," Gabriel said.
Gabriel said population growth and vulnerable residents have played a role in that demand.
"We have seen a huge increase of seniors in our growing age community, as well as individuals that have health risk. We are also getting a lots of babies being born in Wake County. So we have a lot of our newborn babies here in Wake County that are also subject to heat exhaustion," she said.
In November, NC Department of Labor Commissioner Luke Farley announced the formation of a Heat Stress Advisory Council. In a statement, NCDOL spokesperson John Wesley Waugh wrote:
The safety of North Carolina workers is Commissioner Luke Farley's top priority. To further that commitment, he assembled an advisory council made up of representatives from both labor and industry. The council was created to strengthen worker protections and address heat-related illness and injury in the workplace.
Commissioner Farley has also launched the "Beat the Heat" campaign because heat illness is preventable. The Department's campaign is a renewed effort to reduce heat stress and heat-related injuries by providing practical tools, resources, and best practices for both employers and employees.
To access these resources, job creators and workers across the state are encouraged to visit the North Carolina Department of Labor's "Beat the Heat" page.
Doctors say cooling off quickly is critical. While an ice bath can be most effective, UNC Health Rex at Holly Springs Medical Director Dr. Ryan Lamb said there are other options.
"Get the skin exposed and have like a light mist on the skin and then fans. And so allow evaporative cooling is going to be the best cooling measures with drinking fluids and staying hydrated," Lamb said.
Lamb said confusion or a lack of mental clarity can signal dangerous heat-related illness.
"If you're going to be outside and you're doing athletics or you're working outside, you need to have some amount of electrolytes. I think the electrolyte-driven tablets tend to be the best to have all the coverage. I would prefer more water with electrolyte tablets," said Lamb.
