An excessive heat warning and fire risks are in effect for North Texas until late Sunday evening. Still, people are stepping up to meet the needs of others despite the ongoing oppressive temperatures.
With children returning to school, and families in need, they said the work to give back must continue despite the brutal heat. Brian Curl is with the Chosen Few Motorcycle Club. They partnered with several others to provide essential back-to-school supplies for children and parents in Dallas.
“I’ve watched my mother do this at church for years,” Curl said. “So, for me, it’s just one of those things where you give back. When you have it, that’s what you do.”
Curl said staying safe while working in the sun was the top priority.
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“I think we’ve gone through quite a few bags of ice, a bunch of water, just trying to keep everybody hydrated,” he said. “We want to keep everybody safe.”
Even with temperatures reaching upwards of 100 degrees, they said somebody had to do it. Danyelle Washington is an educator in the metroplex. Even with the heat bearing down on the backs of volunteers, she said witnessing children without supplies made the discomfort worth it.
“To be out here and see that people are out here just really giving of their money and time and themselves to people who just don’t have it,” she said.
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While the discomfort is temporary for some, there are others who don’t have a way to stay cool. The Salvation Army stepped into the gap. Christina Cavalier is the Director of Community Relations for the Salvation Army of North Texas.
“Once we saw the temperatures or the heat index reach 100 degrees or more, we activate our cooling stations throughout north Texas and leave them open,” she said.
Cavalier said cooling stations are open across their six-county service area in North Texas and will remain open for as long as needed.
“People can come into one of our facilities and receive bottles water, a snack, some air conditioning,” she said.
In a single day last week, Medstar, the EMS authority based in Fort Worth, treated 22 patients for heat-related illnesses. Just days before that, crews treated 24 patients: the second-highest single-day total since May.
In Dallas, DART converted some of its transit centers into cooling stations as well. Heat safety tips are constantly at the forefront, to educate communities on heat stroke and other related illnesses. In the meantime, North Texas continues to lend a hand wherever help is needed.
“We see people time and time again who step up for their community, and we’re grateful for them,” Cavalier said.
Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles. According to the National Safety Council, if it's 95 degrees outside the internal temperature of a car could climb to 129 degrees in 30 minutes. After just 10 minutes, temperatures inside could reach 114 degrees.
A child's body temperature heats up three to five times faster than an adult and heatstroke can begin when a person's core body temperature reaches 104 degrees. A core temperature of 107 degrees is lethal, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
For more information, visit DART cooling stations.
For information on cooling stations with the Salvation Army of North Texas visit https://salvationarmyntx.org/north-texas/heat-relief.
