Organizations across San Marcos are offering advice and resources, such as cooling centers and fan drives, for residents to prepare for the extreme summer heat.
Climate Central, a nonprofit group of scientists who research climate change, stated that South and Central Texas will see highs of 100-105 degrees Fahrenheit starting May 13.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 1,300 deaths per year in the U.S. are due to extreme heat.
Cooling centers, areas with functioning air conditioning, start to operate when the temperature outside is 100 degrees or more for more than three hours. Once the criteria are met, Southside Community Center opens as a cooling center during its business hours.
Liaison for Neighborhood Engagement and community partner for the Southside Community Center, Jessica Cain, said the Southside is the emergency weather shelter for all of Hays County.
“Being open for the cooling shelter just really means that our gym/cafeteria space, which is where we serve breakfast and dinner as well, is open to the public during the day,” Cain said. “We have snacks, Gatorade, coffee, all sorts of drinks, we roll out our little TV, and folks are just welcome to be in that space.”
Southside Community Center hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. and is located at 518 S. Guadalupe St.
“It gives our neighbors a safe place to be during the hottest hours of the day during the summer,” Cain said. “It is really just a safety thing, I think everybody knows that it’s dangerous to be outside between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the summer months.”
Cooling centers in San Marcos are located at the Southside Community Center, the San Marcos Public Library and the San Marcos Activity Center.
Athletic training professor Kevin Miller, who studies heat-related illness, wrote that there are two types of heatstroke: exertional heatstroke (EHS) and classical heatstroke (CHS). EHS usually affects athletes and physically active individuals, while CHS typically affects the elderly and small children.
Miller wrote that with both EHS and CHS, a person’s internal body temperature is typically high, usually greater than 105 degrees Fahrenheit, accompanied by changes in the central nervous system, including loss of consciousness, coma, seizure and alterations in personality.
According to Miller, hot, dry, red skin is only found in CHS, whereas with EHS, the person is usually sweating profusely and breathing rapidly.
“Most individuals can tolerate an internal body temperature greater than 105 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 60 minutes before their internal organs start to break down,” Miller wrote.
Climate Central stated high levels of heat typically occur in July or August, making the high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit on May 13 particularly unusual and dangerous.
“It is vital to reduce body temperature to less than 103 degrees Fahrenheit within 30 minutes of symptom development,” Miller wrote. “Best way to [reduce body temperature] is with cold water immersion because water transfers heat much more effectively than air.”
According to Miller, it is important to cool people who have symptoms of heatstroke before they are transferred to the hospital, with a mantra of “cool first, transport second.”
“If someone’s body temperature is great 105°F, a cooling center is not going to save their life,” Miller wrote. “We have to use more aggressive forms of cooling like cold-water immersion to bring their body temperature down quickly.”
To help avoid heat stroke, the Mayo Clinic advises people to wear lightweight clothing, drink plenty of fluids and limit time working in the heat.
San Marcos and the Salvation Army held their seventh annual fan drive throughout May to help residents who cannot afford or do not have air conditioning.
Residents were able to donate new 12-inch or larger multi-purpose pedestal fans or 20-inch box fans, or donate money to help buy new fans.
According to a press release by the city, the collected fans are distributed by The Salvation Army San Marcos, located at 300 S CM Allen Parkway, Suite 100.
“Providing relief from the summer heat is a community effort, and we’re grateful for the generosity of our residents each year,” Assistant Director of SMTX Utilities Brian McHenry said in the press release.
McHenry said in the press release that last year the fan drive received 118 fans and hopes to see more.
Residents can still receive fans if needed by calling 512-754-8541 to join a waitlist.
