Alicia Tate-Nadeau has some tips to help you stay cool through temperatures in the mid-90s this week.
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00:00Now, this week's heat wave is bringing high temperatures in the 90s from Chicago all the
00:05way to Southern Illinois.
00:08Alicia Taitnadu is Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of
00:14Homeland Security.
00:15Thank you so much for joining us.
00:21Thanks for having me on.
00:23Perfect.
00:24We'll get right down to it.
00:26How has the Illinois Emergency Management Agency prepared for this week's heat event?
00:32What are some of the safety steps in place?
00:38So we have worked with surrounding areas to open up cooling centers, and of course we're
00:47watching very closely, and you're actually part of our strategy to help people get out
00:55and stay cool.
00:58And exactly what you just pointed out there, heat can be a silent killer.
01:03What precautions should everyone be taking statewide this week?
01:11So first of all, consume a lot of water, not alcoholic beverages or caffeine, but they
01:21estimate that you need between one and a half to two quarts of fluid daily.
01:27Wear those loose clothes, lightweight, light in color.
01:33If you get a chance, go to the pool, find a way to cool off.
01:40If you're outside, stay in the shade or under an awning as much as possible.
01:46Try to keep lights in your house, either low or off, and then keep shades drawn and
01:54avoid using the oven if you're inside.
01:59The other things that we ask you to do is if you don't have AC or fans, keep your windows
02:06open and take periodic cool baths or showers.
02:11Use a wet towel to keep yourself cool.
02:17Now this is early in the season for a prolonged heat spell, and how are your teams responding,
02:24and are you concerned this could be a difficult summer?
02:27This is just the start of things with heat-related risk.
02:33Well obviously, with the heat dome that we're seeing over us right now, and it not really
02:42being summer yet, we anticipate that we'll see more of this with climate change.
02:52Thank you so much, and so many great tips, especially when it comes to checking on your
02:58neighbors and taking all of those precautions.
03:01So just make sure, of course, you are staying hydrated.
03:04Thank you, Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland
03:08Security, Alicia Tait-Nadoo.
03:11Thank you so much again for joining us here on AccuWeather Early.
03:18Thanks, Brie.