Richmond County Aging Services In-Home Aide Supervisor Sharon Morrison (left) and Director Jacqueline Adkins are pictured with 20-inch box fans available to senior citizens as temperatures climb toward 100 degrees over the weekend. These fans were donated by Pee Dee Electric Cooperative, but there are not enough to meet the needs of the county’s seniors. Anyone who wishes to donate fans to be distributed to the county’s elderly may do so by dropping them off at Aging Services, located at 225 S. Lawrence St. in Rockingham. They do not have to be 20-inch box fans. Any fan will do.
Friday’s forecast showed 96 degrees in Richmond County with 39 percent humidity, Saturday’s temperature is expected to eclipse this number, with humidity at 35 percent.
A Friday weather advisory advised heat indexes approaching 100 degrees in several Southeastern North Carolina counties that day. Those counties were Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Pender and Robeson.
The same release advised temperatures will be five to seven degrees short of the record in Central Southern Piedmont counties, including Richmond.
Richmond County Aging Services Director Jacqueline Adkins said senior citizens are especially vulnerable when the mercury climbs to the top of the thermometer.
“They really need to keep plenty of water nearby, and we recommend they keep a phone or a lifeline of some sort close to them so they can call someone in case something happens,” she said. “Just because they don’t feel hot doesn’t mean they’re not dehydrated.”
She said Aging Services is continuing its free fans for senior citizens program, though supplies are running low.
“Basically, the way it works is area energy companies donate the fans, and we recently had Pee Dee Electric donate 10,” she said. “However, we really don’t get as many fans as we get requests for fans.”
She said there are four or five in stock now, to be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis to anyone above 60 who can prove their age and provide an electric bill.
“If any local families or churches would like to get together and donate fans, we’d be happy to make sure they are given to people who need them,” Adkins said.
RIchmond County Health Director Dr. Tommy Jarrell also advised local residents on ways to keep children and pets safe from the heat.
“Whenever the heat index gets this high, it’s good to keep your pets out of the sun as much as possible, as well as limiting the exposure of humans to the sun,” he said. “Especially with humans, if they’re able to stay indoors in an air-conditioned environment, that’s desirable.”
Other than limiting exposure, Jarrell said people should be aware of the heat and their hydration level.
“You want to keep the fans going as much as possible if you don’t have air-conditioning,” he said. “Ceiling fans are kind of obsolete compared to box fans for this purpose. Certainly, though, you want to keep plenty of fluids in you. We also encourage people to look out for their neighbors who might not have all of these things.”
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