As record-breaking heat settled in the area Monday afternoon, everyone did their best to stay cool and avoid heat-related illnesses.
With extreme heat hitting the area, the triple-digit temperatures of Monday were last seen on this date in 1911. That’s over 100 years ago.
Maintenance worker Simon Guerrero said the best thing a person can do for themselves in temperatures like this is to stay hydrated.
“I mean you can not have A/C when you’re going to work outside," said Guerrero. "But if you keep your body hydrated with fluids, you know it helps a lot.”
Worker Norman Chavez said he believes he has it better than many labor workers, as he is able to take frequent breaks to hydrate and move into a shaded area. But he hopes that others are being given the same consideration.
“But not everybody works [the] same way we do… some people it’s a 100 percent outside," said Chavez. "Like the people working on the freeway. So I want to believe they have some kind of a tent where they can go and, you know, cool off for a little bit.”
For anyone who is in need of immediate shelter or hydration, The Salvation Army in Waco has an open cooling center in afternoons when temperatures move above 95 degrees.
“You’ve got to have a cooler, full of water, full of Gatorade… bunch of ice in it," said Chavez.
According to the CDC, heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat cramps require medical attention right away if symptoms last longer than an hour. Heatstroke is identified as an immediate medical emergency.
“We normally take a 9 a.m. break, then we go to 12. But in between we take, I would say five breaks, 15-10 minute breaks.”
Central Texans are resilient when it comes to beating the heat, but for workers and students who are exposed to heat for prolonged periods of time - it can help to listen to those with experience.
