This Ain't No Joke... Extreme Heat Readiness

Extreme Heat planning is a MUST

One of the things that I took away from my 30+ years in the Nuclear Navy is having pre-planned actions for things.

The other day I challenged folks to think their way through the possibility of high heat and losing power.
Doing the ‘what if’ game before stuff happens can significantly increase the effectiveness of the actions we take.

I’m not one to try to shock and awe or prey upon the misfortune of others, but-
When there is a cautionary tale we can all learn something from, I think it is useful to review such stories.

That said, there have been several heat related deaths in Texas the last few weeks.
One story, posted yesterday and updated this morning tells us all we need to know…

An elderly couple perished in their home together due to the air-conditioning going out.

There are reports that officers responding said the temps in the home were 115-120 degrees.

“Officials said elderly couple's death in Beeville heat-related”
https://www.kristv.com/news/local-news/elderly-couple-found-dead-in-their-beeville-home

While I do suggest that rooftop solar with a battery might be one solution, there are other things to consider.

It doesn’t have to be a power outage that takes the ac down.
It doesn’t have to be an ac outage (could be water).
Could be many things- even just an overall overload of heat capacity (it gets too hot for the home to be cool enough).

That all said, I think it is really important to think about the following as distinct things to plan for-

You and your family in the home
Your family in other homes
Your pets

Probably the most important item is learning to recognize the signs of heat illness.
Go here to brush up on it: https://www.ready.gov/heat#illness

Plenty of things we can do around the house like:

-cover windows with heavy/heat blocking drapes or shades
-insulate the home
-weatherstripping on windows and doors
-ventilate the attic
-have seasonal ac maintenance done by a professional
-install new ac if needed
-cool surface for pets to walk on outside

Some things to consider when in a significant heat situation:

-Do NOT leave anyone or pets alone in a car
-drink plenty of fluids
-take cold showers to cool down
-do strenuous activities (like digging) in early evening or morning
-avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible, wear a hat and hide in the shade
-bring pets inside

If power or ac goes out, or if it is too hot-
Go to the mall or other cooling center.

CHECK ON YOUR FOLKS and other elderly family/friends as appropriate.

I’d suggest twice a day- heat can creep up quickly on physically compromised folks and 24 hours is too long in many cases.

Yes, I think having back up power to a home so that if power does go down then the ac can be run is a must in Tucson.

But there’s so much more to it…

A pretty good guide from Uncle Sam:

https://www.ready.gov/heat

If you have all the above set but are still looking into rooftop solar, click here to get notified when Tucson Solar Insider Desk Guide for buying Solar is released.

None of us wants a repeat of the elderly couple in Texas…

Be Safe Out There!

Be Good!
Curtis