JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The heat is on in Northeast Florida and Jacksonville residents like Ronnie Burris are prepared.
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“Luckily I live on the lake, so yesterday I spent about three hours on the lake and that’s what I’m going to do when I leave here,” Burris told Action News Jax while shopping for groceries Sunday.
With temperatures high, many flock to the beaches and those 83-degree waters for relief, however, even along the shore the heat can be relentless and even dangerous.
“Make sure you bring enough cold water, cold Gatorade, cold things to drink,” said Captain Rob Emahiser with Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue. “And alcohol is not one of those. It’s not legal on the beach, and it’s not going to help you avoid a heat-related illness.”
Captain Emahiser also pointed out Sunday the high temperatures can be a danger not just to pets and those who have been drinking, but particularly to those with pre-existing medical conditions.
“We’ve had some emergency calls that heat was certainly a factor, not the only factor like I was saying before. If you have any ailment, the heat is going to contribute to that,” reminded Captain Emahiser.
With the hope being that those calls go to zero ultimately, Jax Beach Ocean Rescue is preaching caution with near-record high temperatures expected both Sunday and Monday.
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