HOUSTON — With the heat index expected to soar beyond the century mark the rest of the week, the City of Houston is activating its heat emergency plan.
On Friday the heat index ("feels like temperature") is expected to reach up to 114 degrees. This weekend it will be just as hot.
Cooling centers are open, with some hours extended, as Houston’s top public health official is sounding the alarm about the triple digit dangers.
Anyone living without air-conditioning can seek air-conditioned shelter at Houston Health Department (HHD) multi-service centers, designated as cooling centers. People without adequate transportation to a cooling center can call 3-1-1 to request a free ride from METRO.
The city will extend the hours of operations for the following facilities until 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and open them to the public from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday:
- Sunnyside Multi-Service Center, 9314 Cullen Blvd., Houston, TX 77051
- Acres Homes Multi-Service Center, 6719 West Montgomery Rd., Houston, TX 77091
- Northeast Multi-Service Center, 9720 Spaulding St., Houston, TX 77016
- Magnolia Multi-Service Center, 7037 Capitol St., Houston, TX 77011
The downtown Houston Central Library, Jesse H. Jones Building, 500 McKinney St., Houston, TX 77002, will open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
How heat waves can kill - know the signs:
“It comes on very, very fast,” said Dr. David Persse, Houston’s public health authority. “Usually (people) will know that they’re in trouble, but only for a minute or two before they collapse.”
Dr. Persse said Houstonians should watch out for three types of heat illness.
The first illness is heat cramps. He said people will feel painful muscle cramps, usually in their arm or leg. The symptoms will typically go away after drinking water going somewhere cool.
The second illness is heat exhaustion. People will feel fatigued, weak, short of breath, sweat excessively and their heartbeat will get faster. Water and air conditioning are also the best ways to recover.
The third and most dangerous heat-related illness is heat stroke. Confusion is a common early symptom. Also people’s skin will be hot and dry, and they’ll stop sweating because their body’s cooling system fails. That shutdown usually starts when the body’s temperature hits 103 degrees.
“At those temperatures, brain cells are dying, so this is an absolute emergency,” Dr. Persse said.
He recommends getting out of the heat and calling 911.
Still, it never has to get that bad. Dr. Persse recommends avoiding working or exercising outside during the hottest part of the day, avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and sugary drinks because they dehydrate, and “pre-hydrating” with diluted sports drinks, or even better, water.
“You can’t just drink a bunch of water in 30 minutes before you’re going to go outside and do something,” Persee said. “It doesn’t have really time to get into all the cells...If you start drinking water now, it’s too late. In fact, you should have started yesterday.”
The city is extending hours at the Central Library, and several of its 11 multi-service centers doubling as “cooling centers." Anyone can also cool off at 40 libraries and 60 community centers.
Dr. Persse worries about people in homes without air conditioning, including the elderly and people with chronic health issues.
“If you have family members or neighbors that you know don’t have air conditioning, this is the time of year to check on them, see how they’re doing, perhaps invite them to go to a movie, getting them into some air conditioning, or maybe go to the mall,” he said.
Metro is offering free rides to and from the cooling centers during the hottest part of the day. Anyone needing a lift can call 3-1-1.
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