VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — No matter where you live in Hampton Roads it's going to feel hot the next few days and health officials want to make sure you stay safe if you're heading outside.
"Eating ice cream and freeze pops whatever I can do to stay cool, it's too hot you know," Nikita Barnes, who was visiting Mt.Trashmore with her nieces on Monday, said.
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Barnes was just one of many at the park trying to enjoy the outdoors the best they could with the heat.
"I always stay hydrated, hydrate before I go out, then hydrate when I get home, and hydrate during the skate sesh," Joseph Tani, one of two skaters at the park on Monday, said.
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With an excessive heat warning for most of our area, Virginia Beach EMS said they've already responded to calls for heat-related illnesses.
Michelle Stephenson-White, with Virginia Beach EMS, said heat exhaustion can be sneaky and symptoms you should watch out for include pale skin, headache, and dizziness.
A way this can be treated is by just getting out of the heat and sipping on water.
"Heat stroke on the other hand is a life-threatening emergency and that's when somebody has red hot dry skin and is no longer sweating," Stephenson-White, said. "They may be confused feel dizzy, lightheaded, and have a really fast strong heart rate. For those symptoms, we recommend you call 911."
Dr. Tamice Jones, with JenCare Senior Medical Center, said things that may impact your ability to sweat include your medication.
"Patients on antidepressants sometimes they don't sweat and so they don't get the cooling factor on their skin and they can be dehydrated very quickly," Jones said.
Jones said the elderly are also increasingly at risk of heat-related illnesses due to medical history and medications.
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"I hope that everyone takes a little bit more effort into Staying hydrated, checking in with your friends and family, and just taking a look at the medication precautions to make sure we stay nice and cool during these hot days," Jones said.
In Virginia Beach, if you need a place to stay cool the city recommends taking advantage of the public libraries which remain open for most of the day.
