Beat the Heat this Summer in Georgia

It's not even officially summer yet...and it's already HOT!!! How can you take care of yourself in this intense Georgia heat and humidity?

HERE ARE SOME TIPS FROM CDC.GOV:

• The best defense is prevention. Here are some prevention tips:
• Drink more fluids (nonalcoholic), regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Warning: If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask him how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
• Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar–these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
• Stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library–even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.
• Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath, or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off.
• Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
• NEVER leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle.
• Although any one at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others. Check regularly on:

1. Infants and young children
2. People aged 65 or older
3. People who have a mental illness
4. Those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure
5. Visit adults at risk at least twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.

How to Stay Cool in Extreme Heat

How to Stay Cool in Extreme Heat
A message from Dr. Robin Ikeda, Acting Director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, on how you can prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths by staying cool, hydrated and informed.

Have Allergies? You Can Keep Your Carpet if You Keep It Clean.

Here is a great article we came across on The Carpet and Rug Institute's Blog...

Spring came in with a wave of warm weather here in the Carpet Capital of the World, and with it a few sniffles and sneezes.

It’s a beautiful time of year, but can be quite annoying for anyone suffering from asthma or allergies.

The return of seasonal allergies has also brought back the voices who say having carpet aggravates asthma and allergy symptoms.

The Carpet and Rug Institute is familiar with this argument – it has been around for a while. On behalf of CRI, I feel the need to point people to the significant body of research that dispels the notion that carpet is bad for asthma and allergy sufferers:

1. Airmid Healthgroup of Ireland conducted a study that showed, “effectively cleaned carpets can trap allergens and other particles, resulting in fewer particles escaping into the air.” Airmid performed the study for CRI member carpet manufacturer Shaw Industries. Read more on Airmid’s study.
   
2. A study on childhood asthma study from 2005, known as the Inner-City Asthma Study, concluded that there was no difference in symptom improvement or allergen levels in carpeted homes vs. uncarpeted homes. Read more on the Inner-City Asthma Study.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE AT THE CARPET AND RUG INSTITUTE

Disaster Preparedness Shopping

Check out this great article from Ready GA's Blog:

Summer is here and a lot of people are preparing for a variety of outdoor activities and vacations like beach trips, boating on the lake, mountain hiking and more. Whatever getaway or summer fun you’re doing, you’re going to have to plan on packing the right items to get ready for your trip, whether it’s a swimsuit, hiking boots or sunscreen. While you can fully prepare for summer fun, you can’t always fully predict summer weather.

This Sunday, June 1, is the start of hurricane season. Although hurricanes pose the strongest threat to coastal regions, storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico have the potential to bring storm surge, high winds, tornadoes and inland flooding across Georgia. During the summer, Georgia is also notorious for having extreme heat conditions.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Metro Atlanta Events for June

May 30th - June 1st: Comic Con at Georgia World Congress Center

June 1st: Atlanta Food & Wine Festival at Loews Atlanta Hotel in Midtown

June 3rd: Jack Johnson - From Here To Now To You Tour 2014 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park

June 3rd - June 8th: Evita at the Fox Theatre

June 7th: Zac Brown Band Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood

June 14th: Tunes from the Tombs at Oakland Cemetary

June 15th: Daryl Hall & John Oates at Chastain Park Amphitheatre

June 21st: Atlanta Summer Beer Fest at The Masquerade

June 21st: Paul McCartney at Philips Arena

June 21st: The Music of U2 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Chastain Park Amphitheatre

June 27th: George Lopez at the Fox Theatre

June 29th: The Wizard of Oz at the Fox Theatre

The Value of Clean: The Benefits of a Clean Facility

Cleaning is an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. Discover more about the Value of Clean® in this new animated infographic from ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and learn how a modest investment in cleaning can help facilities reap big savings. Learn more at www.issa.com/valuetips.

Prepare for Power Outages

It's storm season which often means power outages due to strong winds. How can you prepare for power outages? Here are some tips from Georgia Power:

• Cool or heat your house. In warm weather, turn your air conditioning down. In cold weather, turn your heat up. During and after the storm, keep doors and windows closed - you can hold onto inside temperature for as long as 48 hours.

• Charge your cell phone... and anything else that needs to be charged.

• Keep freezer doors closed and sealed. Frozen food will keep two or three days in a well-filled freezer.

• Leave a porch or front light on. This helps our crews know when repair work is successful.

• Disconnect or turn off any appliances that will start automatically when power is restored. Why? If several appliances start at once, it may overload circuits. Hot appliances pose a fire hazard.

READ MORE TIPS FROM GEORGIA POWER

Kids and Cars: Heatstroke Prevention

It's still Spring in Georgia but the temperature is already rising. According to a new study: 14% of parents say they have left a child alone inside parked vehicle despite the risks of heatstroke. Here are some tips for parents from SafeKids.org...

Tips for Parents

Safe Kids supports NHTSA’s heatstroke education campaign, “Where’s baby? Look before you lock,” and the increased national coordination on the issue. In addition, with the support of the General Motors Foundation, Safe Kids and its network of 600 coalitions and chapters across the nation are helping to educate parents and caregivers through its heatstroke awareness campaign, “Never Leave Your Child Alone In a Car.”

Parents, caregivers and bystanders are encouraged to help reduce the number of heatstroke deaths by remembering to ACT.

• A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in on their own.
• C: Create reminders by putting something on the backseat of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.
• T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

READ MORE AT WWW.SAFEKIDS.ORG

Metro Atlanta Events for May 2014

May 3rd & 4th: The Cotton Pickin' Fair in Gay, GA

May 3rd: Eric Clapton at Chastain Park Amphitheatre

May 8th: Taste of the Nation at the Georgia Aquarium

May 10th & 11th: Rose Show at Atlanta Botanical Gardens

May 15th: Jason Aldean: Burn It Down Tour at Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood

May 17th: East Atlanta Beer Festival in Brownwood Park

May 29th - June 1st: Atlanta Food & Wine Festival at Loews Atlanta Hotel

How to Prevent Dust Mites

• Reduce indoor humidity to 50% or less.
• Put allergen covers on mattresses and pillows.
• Vacuum daily.
• Leave beds unmade initially so they can air out and dry.
• Hire an IICRC-certified firm, such as Champion Cleaning Systems, for periodic carpet cleaning and thorough drying.