As heat advisory settled into area Tuesday, DeKalb officials offer tips on how to stay safe

DeKALB — The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for parts of the Chicago area, including the cities of DeKalb and Sycamore, effective until 8 p.m. Tuesday, and area experts are weighing in on how to stay safe.

Afternoon index values were expected to peak at 105 to 109 degrees through the evening across parts of northwest Indiana and central, east central, north central and northeast Illinois, according to the National Weather Service.

Lee Carla, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said he describes the levels of heat, humidity and dew point temperatures as problematic, which is why he said the heat advisory was issued.

“What’s making things potentially a little more dangerous is the fact that the dew point temperature—that’s basically a measure of how much moisture is present in the atmosphere—the dew point temperatures are very high,” Carla said. “They’re in the upper 70s. … We see it a few times a year. But just because they are so high, combined with those temperatures in the 90s, we’re seeing heat index values … up at about 105 degrees.”

Heat advisories are issued by the National Weather Service a handful of times throughout the year.

Carla said he could not point to climate change as the cause for Tuesday’s heat advisory. “We’re certainly no stranger to these excessive heat values,” he said.

Tips for keeping cool, seeking shelter

Dave DeLille, lieutenant of emergency medical services for the DeKalb Fire Department, said it’s important for the public to be aware and limit the exposure to the elements if possible. If people must be outdoors, DeLille recommends taking extra precautions and being mindful of any symptoms someone might present.

“Obviously, if you’re out in the heat, you’re going to start having a lot of sweating,” DeLille said. “If that sweating starts to stop, that’s a very good indicator that you’ve lost too much fluid and that could be a very early sign of things getting bad because now you don’t have the sweat to help cool you down.”

Keeping a close eye on additional symptoms and then acting accordingly is key, DeLille said.

“Any cramping, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache — those are some of the signs and symptoms to really to be aware of,” DeLille said. “If you start experiencing those, then you probably need to get someplace out of the elements … ideally into an air conditioned place.”

DeLille urged people not to leave animals or children in vehicles that are left unattended.

“Cars can heat up exponentially faster than even the outside elements are,” DeLille said.

There are a number of free spots where people can turn should they need to visit a local cooling center, including: the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St., Hopkins Park Community Center, 1403 Sycamore Road, Senior Service Center, Salvation Army, 830 Grove St., and Hope Haven.

In Sycamore, cooling centers are available at at the city center, 308 W. State St. downtown and the Sycamore Police Department, 535 DeKalb Avenue. In Genoa, residents can go to the Genoa Police Department, 333 E. First St. In Cortland, residents can cool off at the Cortland Community Library, 63 S. Somonauk Road or Cortland Townhall, 59 S. Somonauk Road, during regular business hours.

Lesly Wicks, executive director for Hope Haven, said the shelter takes pride in educating its clients who are unhoused about the importance of emergency preparedness for extreme weather conditions.

“In any extreme weather, freezing cold or hot temperatures, we stay open for the homeless 24 hours and one can come in at any time,” Wicks said. “Of course, with this weather, we advise all of our homeless clients to stay in the building. We have a nurse on staff and she will post different signs and provide information as far as what heat exhaustion looks like, what heat stroke looks like and some of the steps people should take during these extreme weather conditions.”

Hope Haven has the ability to support between 50 and 60 clients at any given time.

Wicks said the shelter is now at maximum capacity, but there are emergency cots to use in extreme weather conditions.

The leadership at Hope Haven welcomes the donation of bottled water to help comfort clients. They can be dropped off at the shelter, 1145 Rushmoore Drive.