Tue, Dec 02 2008
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Published August 04, 2008 04:24 pm - It wasn’t just the food that brought Mary Hazelbaker to the Joplin Salvation Army on Monday afternoon. It also was the cold water, the ice and the air conditioning. At her age, Hazelbaker said, she has learned to take it slow and cool off every chance she gets.  Sun turns up heat in Joplin w/ link to learn more about dehydration and heat stroke By Dustin Shipman
dshipman@joplinglobe.com It wasn’t just the food that brought Mary Hazelbaker to the Joplin Salvation Army on Monday afternoon. It also was the cold water, the ice and the air conditioning. At her age, Hazelbaker said, she has learned to take it slow and cool off every chance she gets. “I take the ice and put it right on my head, and it helps,” she said. “I’m 81 years old, and when you are out in this heat ... I can hardly take it. I drink a lot of milk and juice, and I don’t eat unhealthy foods when it’s this hot. I want to live to be 100.” While temperatures have reached the high 90s over the past few days, the heat index has topped out between 100 and 115 degrees, prompting the National Weather Service in Springfield to issue an excessive-heat warning for all of the Southwest Missouri area as well as some portions of Southeast Kansas. “An excessive-heat advisory is issued when the heat-index value is between 105 and 110 degrees,” said Kelsey Angle, a meteorologist with the weather service. “We recommend that anyone that is working outside or is not accustomed to these kind of conditions should take it easy. And if they have outdoor work to do, then the best times for them to do it would be of a morning or of an evening, when the temperature is not quite as hot.” Angle said the heat advisory is expected to continue until 7 p.m. today, when a cooler front headed this direction is expected to bring temperatures down. Still, “cooler” is a relative term, he said. The humidity should lower enough that it feels as if the temperature is in the 90s, rather than over 100. Leslie Grissom, kitchen manager for the Salvation Army’s Family Center of Hope, said there are several ways that the organization is working to help keep people cool. “We have water and ice available so that people can get some ice water when they come in,” Grissom said. “Usually I open the doors here in the morning, and they can come in until 9 a.m., but if people need a place to get out of the heat, we leave the lobby open, and it is air-conditioned and they get the chance to cool off.” Grissom said the meal program begins at 1:30 p.m., and allows those in need to come in and cool off and receive a meal. Grissom said people often stay out of the heat until 3 p.m., when the building closes. The Economic Security Corp. offers ways for residents to beat the summer heat, including financial help for those who qualify to purchase air conditioners. “If people are eligible, then we can purchase them an air-conditioning unit,” said Tammy Walker, director of community development for the ESC. “The cap for the unit is $300, and we try to get them cheaper. Oftentimes the money we save we can put toward paying their utility costs for the summer. It usually doesn’t go that far, but it can help.” 
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