28 June 2023
TOPEKA, KS. (KSNT) – A heat advisory warning is on its way in Northeast Kansas, meaning it’s important to stay safe while outdoors. Shawnee County Parks and Recreation and Stormont Vail Health agreed on a few key ways to handle the heat:
Avoid too much direct sun
Wear sunscreen
Hydrate
Parks and Recreation doesn’t close its parks down when the weather warms up because being at the park can actually be a good way to escape the heat.
“People come out to swim when it’s really hot,” Mike McLaughlin of Shawnee County Parks and Rec aid. “Some people come out and they may have a house with very few windows for breeze, may not have air conditioning, and they’ll come out and catch a breeze even on a warm day in the shade.”
He asks that people plan their days accordingly, which is no problem for Linda Crandall. This Topeka resident knows just how to protect her grandchildren from the heat while they’re out playing at the park.
“It’s going to be hot, and they’re used to carrying around water bottles and putting on sunscreen more so than I was used to as a kid,” Crandall said. “But, they seem to do well, we’re in the shade so that works.”
Crandall says she also always has a cooler full of snacks and drinks. According to local experts at Stormont Vail Health, her plan is perfect. Lindsay Schwartz, D.O. said the hospital often sees many cases of severe dehydration due to summertime heat.
“People come in sometimes with cramps just from being so dehydrated,” Schwartz sad. “Their electrolytes become imbalanced when they’re that dehydrated and losing that many fluids. Additionally, we can see pretty severe sunburn too, so it’s important to wear that sunscreen, as well as stay hydrated.”