West Tennesseans cope with rising temps as extreme heat arrives

June 29, 2023

Ryan Hodges,

JACKSON, Tenn. — Longer breaks, staying inside, and lots of water: this heat surge has been changing routines for many people.

As the temperatures continue to rise to potentially dangerous levels, some of our routines may need to be adjusted.

We reached out to some local animal shelters to see what are some things we should look out for with our pets to see if they are getting overheated. And what are some ways we can prevent that from happening?

“A lot of panting, if they’re drooling. If their gait is off. If a dog is walking and they’re kind of clumsy or that kind of thing. Definitely if they are drooling or vomiting. Those are bad things,” said Kim Hawks, co-founder of Red Fern Animal Shelter.

There are also quite a few measures that you can take to help try and prevent your pet from becoming overheated.

“Pet’s paws and their paw pads are super sensitive,” said Maggie Crowder with Hero West Rescue. “So you want to make sure that you’re not burning their feet. A good way to check to see if the concrete is too hot for their feet is to put the back of your hand onto the ground, and if you cannot keep your hand there for more than ten seconds, then it is probably too hot.”

People that work outside particularly have to be safe on days like today when temperatures can get high. We reached out to a few construction companies to see what they do differently on days like this to keep their employees safe.

“All we do is just start earlier,” said Mike Neisler with Neisler Bros. Construction. “When it gets so hot, you know, try to do the hot and heavy work in the morning and a little lighter work in the afternoon.”

Area Relief Ministries, a community partner in downtown Jackson, kept their day center open for four more hours this afternoon to give people more time to stay inside and out of this heat.

That’s what days like today are all about: staying under some shade, staying inside if you can, drinking lots of water and fluids just to make sure you stay healthy in this heat.

Remember to drink fluids even when you are not thirsty to stay hydrated.

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