As the United States is experiencing higher temperatures this week due to a heat wave and Michigan is predicted to have severe weather heading into Friday morning, let’s go through how you can prepare for it.
Heat
What can I do to stay cool?
Health experts recommend staying hydrated, limiting strenuous outdoor activities, wearing lightweight clothing, spending time in air-conditioned environments when possible and checking on family members and neighbors that might be vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.
Where can I go if I need to cool down?
Many cities have cooling shelters available to residents or the general public. Below are links to various city and county websites listing cooling centers and their hours of operation. To find a cooling center near you, dial 2-1-1.
What are the signs of heatstroke and heat exhaustion?
Heatstroke
Symptoms for heatstroke include high body temperature, changes in mental state or behavior, racing heart rate, and a headache.
If you think someone may be experiencing heatstroke, seek immediate medical help. While waiting for emergency treatment, get the person into the shade or indoors, remove excess clothing, and cool them with whatever means available.
A full list of symptoms and causes can be found here.
Heat exhaustion
Symptoms for heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramps, and nausea.
If you think you or someone around you is experiencing heat exhaustion, stop all activity and rest, move to a cooler place, and drink cool water or sports drinks. Contact your healthcare professional if symptoms get worse or don’t improve within one hour.
A full list of symptoms and causes can be found here.
Severe weather
Create an emergency plan.
Michigan Prepares advises creating “what if” scenarios, such as “What if it’s hard to go home, where should everyone meet up” or “What if our phones aren’t working in an emergency,” to help decide how you and your loved ones react.
Other advice includes keeping important contact and health information, like phone numbers or medical information, in one spot. Think about supplies you need, including which items on your grocery list could be switched with more shelf-stable options.
Michigan Prepares offers an emergency plan template and generic checklists for supplies for pets and older adults.
“Household emergency plans are critical to family safety, particularly because severe weather can strike without warning,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive. “Families may not be in the same place when a severe weather event occurs, so it is important to create a plan for all of your loved ones to stay in touch and know what to do and where to go to stay safe.”
Know what to do before, during and after severe weather.
This involves practicing drills, knowing the difference between a watch and a warning, gathering supplies (including a battery operated radio to keep up to date on watches and warnings), and potential hazards.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has guides for tornadoes, floods, and other natural disasters. Here are fact sheets in English, Spanish, and Arabic from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
You can also sign up for emergency alerts in your county via email or text.
Here’s a guide from the Michigan Public Service Commission on what can qualify you for an outage credit. The Department of Insurance and Financial Services offers insurance tips following severe weather.
The Detroit Free Press also offers a tool to see, since 1950, where tornadoes have landed across Michigan and their severity.
For more information, visit michigan.gov/miready and follow Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division on X and Facebook.
