Pools, air conditioners in demand as heat wave nears

Temperatures expected to reach 100 degrees Saturday with dangerous heat indexes

HARTFORD — Shelves at the Walmart on Flatbush Avenue were empty of air conditioners Wednesday as state residents prepared for a hot and humid weekend that could see the heat index climb to as high as 107 degrees.

Some public pools will be open longer, towns and cities will set up cooling centers and people like Migdalia Negron are making their own plans to keep their homes chilly.

Negron, who lives in Hartford, went to the Walmart looking to buy a window air conditioning unit for her third-floor apartment Wednesday, but left emptyhanded. The store was sold out of the unit she was looking for, one that can cool down the converted attic space during long, hot afternoons.

“If I leave my air conditioning on all day, my bill will be too high,” she said. “But then when I come home at the end of the day, it feels like an oven.”

Negron came home from work Tuesday evening and found shelves she had just hung that day already fallen off the wall. She said glue on the Command strips holding the shelves had melted in the heat. Negron’s lived there for four years and said this summer has been hotter than normal.

Jessica Perez, in the Walmart’s hardware department, said the store only had

fans and smaller air conditioners in stock, but those were running low. She said starting this past Saturday, a “crazy” amount of people have come in to buy air conditioners.

“Usually people wait until the summer ends so the price goes lower, but not this week,” Perez said.

State and local authorities have spread the word that this weekend’s heat could be harmful if people don’t take proper precautions.

Department of Public Health officials warned that working outside in direct sunlight during midday hours can be dangerous and advised against drinking alcoholic and sugary drinks in the heat. Dr. Kenneth Robinson, chief of the department of emergency medicine at Hartford Hospital, said feeling dizzy or lightheaded is a sign of dehydration.

Robinson warned that heatstroke is one of the more dangerous heat-related illnesses.

“Heatstroke is a change in mental state and confusion with really high body temperature, around 103 degrees,” he said. “Skin will feel really warm to the touch and might even be dry, and that’s a real emergency.”

Robinson advised those going outdoors this weekend wear a big hat, lightcolored loose clothing and reapply sunscreen throughout the day. He said he knows the emergency room might see more people this weekend due to the heat, but that the staff is prepared. He emphasized that it’s best to avoid being in direct sunlight for more than 45 minutes at a time.

“If you’re the kind of person who needs to exercise everyday, I suggest you do it early in the morning or late in the evening when its the coolest,” Robinson said.

Expecting increased need, public pools around Hartford may be open for longer hours. A city of Hartford lifeguard for 31 years, Juan Rodriguez said the goal is to keep people “cool, calm, collected and happy.”

Rodriguez is one of the head guards at the Goodwin Park pool and said he expects to be on a “heat wave schedule” this weekend.

“We’re going to have family swim at an earlier time than we usually do, to keep them in the water a little longer,” Rodriguez said.

Under the heat wave schedule, family time is 1 to 5 p.m. and adult swim is open from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Rodriguez said during heat waves the pools become more crowded than usual, and he recommended sprinkler parks nearby for families trying to cool off and have fun. He said Pope Pool, Colt Park’s pool and Keney Park’s pool have family-style pools as well.

Officials maintain that staying in air conditioning and drinking water is the best way to stay safe during the heat. Mitch Gross, a spokesman for Eversource, said its best for residents looking to keep their electricity bills down to set their air conditioning at a moderate temperature throughout the day while they’re not home.

“Cranking up the unit when you get home from work actually uses more energy,” he said.

Gross said Eversource works on its system yearround to prevent failures. He said he expects use to be up this weekend in the heat, but the system should handle it.

Gross recommended athome measures to keeping air conditioning costs down including changing filters and coils every few months, closing blinds on south or west facing windows and keeping units out of direct sunlight when possible.

Temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees on Saturday, with humidity making it feel ever hotter.