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Staying cool in extreme heat
A cool room, signs of heat illness, and who is most at risk.
Guide · 1 min read
Heat is the biggest danger in a long outage. Indoor temperatures that stay above about 35 degrees Celsius are risky, especially for babies, older people and anyone with a medical condition. A fan helps, but it may not be enough at very high temperatures.
In Sakeena you can tick each step and see your progress. It stays on your device. Open it as a checklist
Do now
- Pick one cool room: usually a ground-floor, interior room with the fewest windows. In a villa, avoid the roof-facing upper floor in the afternoon.
- Prepare light-coloured curtains or reflective covers for sun-facing windows.
- Keep a thermometer, oral rehydration sachets and spray bottles or cloths for cooling.
Do within 15 minutes
- Move everyone to the cool room, close doors and curtains, and wear loose, light clothes.
- Sip water regularly, even if not thirsty. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine and sugary drinks.
- Cool the body: damp cloths on neck, wrists and face, lukewarm shower or foot bath if water allows.
Do in the first day
- Heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, weakness, headache, nausea, cramps, cold clammy skin. Move to the coolest place, loosen clothes, sip water, cool the skin.
- Heat stroke is an emergency: confusion, fainting, fits, very hot skin or a body temperature of 40 degrees or more. Call your emergency number at once and cool the person with wet cloths while you wait.
- If the home stays hot for many hours, move vulnerable people to a cooler place such as relatives, a hotel, a mall or an official shelter.
Do daily
- Check on babies, elders and neighbours living alone every few hours.
- Stay out of the sun at midday. Never leave children or pets in a parked car, even for a minute.
- Most at risk: infants, children, pregnant women, older people, people with heart, kidney or chronic illness, people on some medicines, outdoor workers and anyone without cooling.
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