08/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/02/2024 16:17
Published on August 02, 2024
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Denver Metro Area on Sunday, August 4. To help residents stay cool and healthy during the uncomfortably high temperatures, the City and County of Denver is offering support.
Denver Parks and Recreation will open all currently operating recreation centers as daytime cooling centers during regular business hours, for people who need a place to cool down. Each center will have a designated area available for cooling, with access to drinking water, restrooms, and a place to sit.
Denver Public Library locations are also available to the public as an indoor reprieve from the heat. For information about library hours visit: denverlibrary.org/locations.
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High temperatures can cause illness, as excessive heat can increase your body's core temperature. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a heat illness happens when your body is unable to dissipate heat effectively. Personal factors, like age, obesity, dehydration, heart disease, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can all play a role in your body's ability to cool off during hot weather. Those who are at highest risk for heat-related illness include people 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness.
With these extremely hot temperatures, Denver Public Health & Environment offers these tips to prevent heat-related illness:
If you must be outside during the heat of the day, follow these tips:
Heat illness, including heat stroke, can be dangerous and even fatal if not treated appropriately. Symptoms of heat-related illness can include red or itchy skin, muscle pain or cramps, shallow breathing, elevated body temperature, a weak but quick pulse, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea, dizziness or fainting.
During periods of extreme heat, check on friends and neighbors to be sure they are safe and remember to never leave children unattended in a hot car.
Street outreach teams are cautioning persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness of heat illness and providing referrals to shelters and cooling centers. Denver's network of shelters provides a setting where individuals experiencing homelessness can seek refuge from severe weather while getting connected to case management and other stability services. For more information on overnight and day shelters for individuals and families, visit the Department of Housing Stability's Find Shelter webpage.
Keep animals safe from the heat
Denver Animal Protection (DAP) reminds residents to never leave their pets alone in vehicles.
If you suspect an animal is suffering heatstroke:
If you see a dog in a hot car, immediately call 311 or Denver Animal Protection 720-913-2080. You should also familiarize yourself with the city's Good Samaritan law which provides legal immunity to people who break a car window to save an animal. However, to ensure immunity: