THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 26, 1995 TAG: 9507260376
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER CHRISTMAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Beneath the plastic yellow and red umbrella hat anchored on her head, Sheila McFadden combed through the contents of her tote bag: a 32-ounce bottle of water, a hand-held fan, a tube of zinc oxide and three types of sunscreen.
``I come prepared for the heat,'' said McFadden, a Connecticut resident, as she fished with her husband, Bob, from the Melvin R. Daniels Bridge between Roanoke Island and Nags Head.
They are among the thousands of tourists and locals who are going to lengths to beat the heat.
While Tuesday's temperature reached the low 90s, the humidity shot the heat index to a stifling 105 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The greenhouse conditions are expected to linger through the weekend.
When Frieda Rogers heard Tuesday's steamy forecast, she piled her three young grandchildren into her station wagon and headed straight for the Outer Banks Mall movie theater.
While they watched ``Free Willy 2'' and ``Pocahontas,'' Rogers reveled in the air conditioning.
``It's so nice and cool in here,'' Rogers said. ``See, kids don't mind if it's hot outside. They'll run around and not even think about it.
``Not me - I can't stand the heat.''
Andy Turell, who stopped into the Kitty Hawk 7-Eleven to grab a Slurpee and a pint of chocolate ice cream, said the heat means three things for him: relaxing, eating and TV.
``Today I have a date with my ice cream and the tube,'' said Turrell, a 20-year-old Kitty Hawk resident. ``I just stopped here between commercials. I don't want to do anything besides sit on my rear, eat, watch `One Life to Live,' take a nap and then check out the O.J. trial.''
While some have suffered from the extreme heat, others have benefited from it.
Terry Stoltz, who owns Costal Aire in Nags Head with her husband, Bill, said the heat has been good for their air-conditioning business.
``We are busy from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. responding to service calls,'' Stoltz said. ``A lot of these older systems just can't take the heat. Salt gets inside the coils and deteriorates them.''
Only a handful of minor heat-related incidents have been reported at area medical centers.
Albemarle Hospital in Elizabeth City has treated three people for non-serious conditions from the sun, said hospital spokeswoman Bonnie McCrodden.
Yvonne Taylor, office manager and medical assistant for Regional Medical Center in Kitty Hawk, said her center treated one patient for heatstroke last week.
``We're actually surpised we haven't seen more people - it's so very hot,'' Taylor said. ``It seems that people are better educated about taking precautions and staying inside. They are paying attention to the many warnings.''
To avoid heat exhaustion, Taylor said people should drink plenty of water, stay out of direct sunlight, wear hats and report any symptoms of dizziness, blurred vision, nausea or headaches to a physician.
But some people like Duck resident Dan Leary don't mind the heat.
``It's not hot,'' Leary said Tuesday during his daily three-mile jog on the beach road. ``It's all in the mind.'' ILLUSTRATION: BEATING THE HEAT
[Color Photo]
DREW C. WILSON
Staff
Zeb Florence, 12, of Williamsburg and Jodie Garringer, 13, of
Springfield, Ohio, battle it out in a water war with hoses while
vacationing in Kill Devil Hills. Their refreshing idea kept them
away from the hot sand of the nearby beach until things cooled down
a little.
by CNB