By Michele McPhee, Jessica Fargen and Kristin Erekson
The Boston Herald
Copyright 2006 Boston Herald Inc.
Boston and the rest of the region are bracing for a midsummer meltdown today with temperatures pushing into the triple digits in a heat wave that will be dangerous, even deadly, for some.
The mayor has ordered city pools and cooling centers to stay open late. Summer camp kids will be heading for the shade, and doctors are urging everyone to drink water as the region braces for the arrival of a heat wave that already has taken lives in the West.
``I got a couple of fans going,’' said Susan Lenardis, 35, who is expecting some brutal days in the unair-conditioned Old Colony housing project flat she shares with her 4-year-old daughter. ``I drink lots of iced coffee and I sip on ice chips. My daughter and I hang in the tub. We sit in the cool water and just chill.’'
Calling this week a ``dangerous situation,’' Mayor Thomas M. Menino yesterday declared a heat emergency through Thursday and extended the hours at city pools until 9 p.m. and at air-conditioned community centers, called ``cooling centers.’' Temperatures could top 100 degrees tomorrow.
He met yesterday with city officials to strategize ways the Hub can prevent deaths like that of 62-year-old Cotta Dobbins, who died in her Chicago home last week because of the heat. Her death was the eighth casualty of hot temperatures in that city, and Menino swore yesterday he would work to prevent similar losses in the Hub.
``We are doing everything we can to make sure what happened in Chicago does not happen here,’' said Menino, who has ordered that extra ambulances be on hand this week. ``We are asking people to check on their neighbors, especially the elderly. Go knock on their doors.’'
The MBTA has extra fans in some subway stations and there should be only one car per commuter train that has broken air conditioning, pledged T General Manager Dan Grabauskas. About 10 percent of the 333 commuter train cars have little or no cool air.
Vulnerable young people used to being outside this time of year are being told to keep it cool.
The 90 Girl Scouts at Camp Wind-in-the-Pines in Plymouth must carry water bottles all the time, drink water with every meal and will spend about twice as much time in the water, Camp Director Meghan Holmgren said.
``Heat exhaustion becomes our No. 1 concern,’' she said. ``The nurse makes sure all staff keep the kids as hydrated as possible.’'
Dr. Richard Zane at Brigham and Women’s Hospital said extreme temperatures can cause heat stroke, a life-threatening condition that increases your pulse and causes vomiting and dizziness.
``It’s a very serious thing and people should be extremely cautious,’' he said. ``Even if you are a world-class athlete you should avoid exercising in the heat of the day.’'