Back to Top Plan for Extreme Heat Develop a Family Disaster Plan. Revisit your family disaster plan before summer heat is expected. Different areas have different risks associated with prolonged heat. Contact your local emergency management office, National Weather Service office, or American Red Cross chapter for information. Schools, libraries, theaters and other community facilities often provide air-conditioned refuge on the hottest days.
Air conditioning provides the safest escape from extreme heat.
During the 1995 Midwest heat wave, most deaths happened to people not in air conditioned locations. Plan changes in your daily activities to avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day. Ill effects of heat can quickly overcome the healthiest people, if they perform strenuous work during the warmest parts of the day. Symptoms of dehydration are not easily recognized and are often confused with other causes. Dehydration occurs fast and makes you ill very quickly.