Chill Out! Pools Popular Spots to Beat Heat Wave

Clarkstown residents flocked to the town's local pools Wednesday as they tried to beat the ongoing heat wave.

To help residents, the town has also extended the opening of local "cooling centers" through Friday. Additionally, Orange and Rockland Utilities has issued another alert for today, asking Rocklanders to conserve power to prevent overloading the local power system.

As the heat wave continues, the American Red Cross offers some advice:

Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio for critical updates from the National
Weather Service (NWS).

❏ Never leave children or pets alone in enclosed vehicles.

❏ Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol.

❏ Eat small meals and eat more often.

❏ Avoid extreme temperature changes.

❏ Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, lightcolored clothing. Avoid dark colors
because they absorb the sun's rays.

❏ Slow down, stay indoors and avoid strenuous exercise during the hottest
part of the day.

❏ Postpone outdoor games and activities.

❏ Use a buddy system when working in excessive heat.

❏ Take frequent breaks if you must work outdoors.

❏ Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning, who
spend much of their time alone or who are more likely to be affected by the
heat.

❏ Check on your animals frequently to ensure that they are not suffering from
the heat.

In conjunction with the Clarkstown Police Department's Emergency Management Coordinator, Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack announced the Town of Clarkstown extended operation of its cooling centers for residents to go and cool down in the extremely hot weather.  The following cooling centers will be open again on July 8 and July 9 from 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Central Nyack Community Center, 58 Waldron Avenue, Central Nyack    

Pascack Community Center, 87 New Clarkstown Road, Nanuet

Street Community Center, 31 Zukor Road, New City

Although temperatures have moderated somewhat, the still high temperatures and steamy humidity have prompted O&R to issue a Summer Heat Watch advisory today.

Today's sultry weather is expected to push the load on the O&R electric system past 1300 megawatts --- today's forecast is for 1420 megawatts --- placing O&R on Heat Watch status.

Yesterday, O&R recorded its fifth highest demand day in history with 1,558 megawatts of demand at peak during the day. O&R registered its fourth highest demand day on Tuesday when demand reached 1,572 megawatts. O&R's all-time electric demand record is 1,617 megawatts which was set on August 2, 2006.

The Heat Watch advisory means that field crews are focusing primarily on emergency work, with normal work being performed as system conditions permit. The advisory also means that distribution system engineers closely monitor the loads on distribution circuits, transformer banks and other key system components to detect any heat-related issues so they can be addressed as quickly as possible before they become problems.