SMITH COUNTY, Texas — With the temperatures continuing to rise across East Texas, taking the right steps to prevent some health issues is necessary while enjoying the sun this summer.
Operations supervisor for Smith County Danielle Groves said they’ve seen an increase in calls for heat exposure. She said if your body starts over heating, immediately find a cool place.
"If you are already in the house and you start feeling those symptoms highly recommend that you seek medical attention," Groves said.
Groves said some of those symptoms "fatigue, tired, some of the most common symptoms are nausea, headache, you know, of course, you're sweaty, but cool feeling skin, sometimes you can even get chill bumps."
She said heat exhaustion will start off as a feeling of overheating and having mild cramps. That's when you want to get out of the heat and drink plenty of water.
However, Groves said when you start having a heat stroke your body temperature will spike above 104 degrees.
"When you get past that definitely seek medical attention, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, feeling dizzy, feeling disoriented. Those are definitely signs to call 911," Groves said.
Brandon Moore, emergency management coordinator for Smith County, said there are resources in place for residents to escape the heat.
"Best practices you know, staying cool, staying hydrated and also shelters that if you do lose power, you can go to and cool down," Moore said.
The best steps to take to prevent any heat illnesses is to take a lot of breaks, drink a lot of water, and implement electrolytes.