Dangerously hot weather is in the forecast, with heat index values expected to hit as high as 115 degrees over the next few days in the Oak Park and River Forest area just as kids head back to school.
To prepare for the excessive heat, the Village of Oak Park is offering advice to help people to take care of themselves and their loved ones and District 90 is making sure its students are safe.
Residents are encouraged to check on relatives, friends and neighbors who may be vulnerable to heat-related illnesses or who may not have access to air conditioning, according to a Village of Oak Park news release.
The severely high temperatures could put individuals at risk of contracting heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat rash and dehydration. Those most susceptible to these health conditions are infants, young children, elderly people, and individuals with mental and physical illnesses, particularly heart disease or high blood pressure.
To protect yourself against these conditions, Oak Park health officials recommended:
- avoiding sun exposure
- drinking water often
- not engaging in strenuous outdoor activities
- wearing lightweight, loose-fitting clothes.
Oak Park residents should also note garbage and recycling collection will begin at 6 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday to allow crews to make their rounds before the hottest parts of the day.
Kids in District 90 return to school Thursday and plans are already in motion to beat the impending heat. Families can feel safe knowing that students will be having indoor recess on the first day of school. All physical education classes will also be held inside Thursday. All schools in the district are fully air-conditioned.
Parents and guardians are directed to send their children off to school with a refillable water bottle that can be replenished at bottle filling stations, which are available in each school in the district.
Kids will not be allowed to play on the schools’ playgrounds after school Thursday due to the extreme heat and cross-country practice at Roosevelt Middle School has also been canceled, according to District 90 officials.
