Austin News
WATCH: Camps take precautions in triple digit heat
05:46 PM CDT on Monday, June 29, 2009
More triple digit heat plagued Central Texas Monday as a heat wave stretched into a third week. The 105 degree high of Monday has forced some to take precautions. The YMCA summer sports camp at Town Lake moved inside.
About 50 children came Monday ready for baseball camp this week. Some dressed the part wearing ball caps, knee high socks, and jerseys.
"We've all been kids before. Staying inside 100 percent of the time is never going to be fun. It's sunny outside, yeah, it's hot but they have too much fun. If we can do it in a safe manner, we think that's the most productive use of their time," said Andrew Wiggins, executive branch director of the Austin area YMCA.
Instead of running the bases on the field outside, by 1 p.m. on Monday, campers were inside playing cards, board games and building blocks.
Wiggins says camp counselors use the outdoor fields during the morning hours. By the afternoon, when the heat is more intense the camp moves inside where the children are protected from the heat.
"This is something we prepare for each summer. July and August in Austin are always going to be like this. We just got it probably earlier in the summer," said Wiggins.
Since June 12th, Travis County EMS has dealt with 37 heat emergencies.
"It doesn't get a lot hotter than 105, here in Texas anyway. So yeah, heat illness is a big problem for Central Texans. It's a hot place," said TJ Milling, M.D., Brackenridge Hospital in Austin.
When temperatures creep over 100 degrees, Milling says the ER fills up.
"They come in and often we can just hydrate them by mouth," said Milling.
The key he says is staying out of direct light -- finding shade or AC to stay cool.
It's hard for some who either don't have AC or can't afford the high summer bills. Family Eldercare of Austin says it has passed out box fans to more than 1,300 homes this summer.
"A fan will make your home feel 4-6 degrees cooler," said Krystal Wilson of Family Eldercare.
With temperatures creeping past 100 and the ball fields emptying out for indoor sports, a few degrees of relief is exactly what Austin is waiting for.
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