SB County OEM shares ways to stay cool amid dangerous heat-power outage combination

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Saturday's lightning storms across Santa Barbara County were only part of an eventful day of extreme weather locally.

The Central Coast continues to feel excessive heat, while thousands lost power for most of the day Saturday. The combination of no power and the dangerous heat can be life-threatening.

The ongoing pandemic has also closed several indoor spaces people would typically go to cool down, like movie theaters.

Kelly Hubbard, director of the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, shared some ideas Sunday on how people can cool down at home, with or without electricity.

“I still have wet hair from my cold shower to cool me off. And if you can’t take a cool shower… grabbing a wash cloth and getting it nice and cold, with cold water. Keeping it on your neck. Filling up a spray bottle with ice and cold water and spraying yourself down.”

Drinking water often and limiting outdoor activity is also crucial.

“Even if you don’t feel like you need it, continue to drink a lot of water,” Daniel Bertucelli of Santa Barbara County Fire said Saturday. “You’re losing water just by being out in this environment.”

People can also travel to shaded parks or beaches to cool down, as long as distancing is possible.

“The key is to avoid crowded areas,” Santa Barbara County supervisor Gregg Hart said Friday. “So if you go to a location where there are already a lot of people who have congregated there, please go someplace else. Have in mind an alternative park that you can go to. The beaches… there are miles and miles of beaches.”