MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Monday and Tuesday may go down as the two hottest days in this current stretch of heat in West Virginia.
Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority Chief Brandon Truman said residents should avoid long periods of time outside but if they can’t, stay ahead of potential dehydration.
“Stay hydrated, monitor medications, monitor those people who are risk and just check in on each other,” Truman said Monday on the Panhandle News Network.
Truman said children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses need to watch continuous exposure to the heat.
“They are a little more susceptible to heat emergency like normal, healthy individuals,” he said.
The National Weather has the entire Eastern Panhandle under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Monday along with a counties from McDowell County north to the U.S. Route 50 corridor, west of Interstate 79.The heat index was expected to rise to 103 degrees or more. Meteorologists said Tuesday could be hotter.
Truman said heat exhaustion is someone with cramping muscles, fatigue, cold clammy skin and a fast pulse. He said that can advance to heat stroke.
“This is a true emergency where you have someone who is confused, red, hot, dry skin, they are not sweating, that’s a severe emergency,” Truman said.