FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2010


June 20-26 is Missouri Summer Safety Week

State Emergency Management Agency and National Weather Service highlight dangers posed by excessive heat and lightning


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 18, 2010
June 20-26 is Missouri Summer Safety Week State Emergency Management Agency and National Weather Service highlight the dangers posed by excessive heat and lightning
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The State Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service are utilizing Missouri Summer Safety Week (June 20-26) to highlight the dangers posed by excessive heat and lightning.  It is hoped the Summer Weather Safety Campaign will help keep people safe during the peak vacation and outdoor recreation season.
"Making sure that people understand the dangers involved with summer weather is extremely important," said State Emergency Management Agency Director Paul D. Parmenter.  "If Missourians use caution and take some simple preventive measures, they will be safer.”
In 2009, 11 people in Missouri died from heat related illnesses and two others were killed in lightning strikes.  June 20-26 is also National Lightning Safety Awareness Week.
Information in the campaign includes the warning signs of heat-related illness and the importance of drinking adequate amounts of water.  There is also important information about the risk of lightning strikes to those involved in outdoor recreational activities.
For information about keeping safe in extreme heat, common heat disorders, the science of lightning and lightning safety, and National Lightning Awareness Week, visit http://weather.gov/stlouis/?n=summerweathersafetyweek. For information on warning signs of heat-related illness and ways to treat it, visit www.dhss.mo.gov/Hyperthermia/HeatPrecautions.html.   To locate a cooling center near you where seniors and other people at risk of heat-related illness can go to cool down, visit www.dhss.mo.gov/coolingcenter2010.pdf.

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For more information, call 573-751-5432 or e-mail mike.oconnell@dps.mo.gov