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[Press Conference: "Heat Emergency Plan"]
ME SAY, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY.I'VE GOT CHIEF NER, UH, WITH THE, UH, CHIEF FENNER, CHIEF PENA WITH THE, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT, DR.
PER, OF COURSE, THE MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, CHIEF UNI WITH THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, HOMELAND SECURITY.
UH, MY MARK IBU IS HERE JUST IN CASE, WHO IS THE, UH, SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE CITY ON THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS.
LEMME JUST SAY, GOOD AFTERNOON, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO HAVE THIS, UH, THIS, UH, PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY.
UH, JUST TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, THE FACT THAT THIS WEEKEND, TODAY, UH, IT'S GONNA BE HOT THIS WEEKEND, IT'S GONNA BE HOT, AND EVEN GOING INTO, INTO NEXT WEEK.
AND I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO BE MINDFUL, TO BE MINDFUL OF, OF WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, UH, TO PREVENT ANY SORT OF PROBLEMS DUE TO THE HEAT.
UH, YESTERDAY WE HIT A RECORD, UH, REACHED A RECORD OF 97 DEGREES.
I THINK IT'S FORECASTED TODAY TO GET UP TO LIKE 99 DEGREES.
AND THEN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICES PREDICTING THE HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL SUB PASS 105, UH, THROUGH THE DURATION OF THE WEEKEND.
NOW, OF COURSE, WHEN THE NATIONAL WEATHER ADVISORY ISSUES ARE REPORT OF, UH, I THINK 108, UH, THEN THAT THEN SIGNALS TO THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMPANIES NOT TO DISCONNECT.
UH, BUT I'M ALSO, I'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH SOME OF 'EM TODAY, EVEN ASKING THEM, UH, NOT TO DISCONNECT, UH, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME, EVEN THOUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER ADVISORY HAS NOT, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS NOT ISSUED AN ADVISORY YET, BUT IT IS, IT IS GETTING CLOSE.
I AM TOLD, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE ON THE WEEKENDS, THEY DON'T DISCONNECT, AND I'M HOPING THAT THEY AND ENCOURAGE THEM NOT TO DISCONNECT.
UM, I'M ALSO ADVISING EVERYONE TO PLEASE STAY WELL HYDRATED AND TAKE PLENTY OF BREAKS, UH, IF YOU'LL BE WORKING OR PLAYING OUTSIDE.
UM, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WANTED TO HAVE THIS PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY, I MET WITH MY EXECUTIVE TEAM AND THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS FOR THOSE EMPLOYEES, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO ARE WORKING OUTSIDE.
WE WANT TO TAKE, UH, DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP THEM PROPERLY HYDRATED AND COOL, UM, ENCOURAGING THEM, FOR EXAMPLE, TO TAKE THE NECESSARY BREAKS, UH, WHILE THEY'RE WORKING OUTSIDE, UH, LIKE THOSE WHO ARE PICKING UP OUR, OUR TRASH PUBLIC WORKS, EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, POLICE OFFICERS, AND FIREFIGHTERS.
UM, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR MEN AND WOMEN HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO REMAIN HYDRATED DURING THEIR WORKING HOURS WHILE THEY PROVIDE SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC.
UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS ACTIVATED ITS PUBLIC HEALTH HEAT EMERGENCY PLAN TO PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NEED TO TAKE REFUGE FROM EXTREME HEAT.
UM, OVER, UH, OVER THE WEEKEND AND ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, UH, ANYONE WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING CAN SEEK SHELTER HAS SEVERAL CITY BUILDINGS DESIGNATED AS COOLING CENTERS.
UH, AND THEN I'M GONNA ASK CHIEF BARB UNI, UH, TO IDENTIFY THOSE, AND YOU WILL SEE A NUMBER OF THEM ON THE SCREEN.
I DO WANT TO SAY, ESPECIALLY TO OUR SENIORS, BECAUSE I KNOW PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO BALANCE, UH, THEIR RESOURCES WITH INFLATION AND, UH, GAS PRICES.
BUT LET ME ENCOURAGE OUR SENIORS, UH, TO USE, IF YOU'VE GOT AIR CONDITIONING, TO TURN IT ON, UH, TO PLEASE USE IT.
UH, DON'T BE IN YOUR HOME, UM, IN THE MIDST OF, UH, IN A HOT HOME AND BE, UM, BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR BILL THAN YOUR HEALTH.
SO I WANT YOU TO BE MINDFUL OF YOUR HEALTH FIRST AND, UH, YOUR BILLS.
UH, SECONDLY, BUT LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU, ESPECIALLY THIS WEEKEND, GOING INTO NEXT WEEK, EVEN GOING INTO THE SUMMER, THAT IF YOU'VE GOT AIR CONDITIONING AND IT WORKS, UH, LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU TO TURN ON THAT AIR CONDITIONING TO STAY COOL.
UH, UH, AND THEN LET ME ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO CHECK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS, ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY OUR SENIOR CITIZENS.
I WANT YOU TO WANT YOU TO DO THAT.
UM, SO WE'LL BE OPENING UP A, A NUMBER OF COOLING CENTERS THAT THEY WILL BE OPEN ON SATURDAY.
MANY OF THEM WILL STILL BE OPEN ON SUNDAYS, AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THINGS AS WE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO PLEASE BE MINDFUL, PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THIS HEAT, UH, TAKE IT, TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
UM, MAKE SURE YOU GET, UH, BE PROPERLY HYDRATED.
AND THEN LET ME FOR BRIEFLY, LEMME TURN IT OVER DOWN TO, LEMME START WITH CHIEF BUNI, UH, FIRST, AND HE CAN TALK ABOUT MORE OF THOSE COOLING CENTERS AND STATIONS THAT OPEN IN THE CITY CHIEF UNION.
UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, KEEPING PEOPLE COOL.
DURING THIS, UH, UH, HEAT WAVE THIS WEEKEND, THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN WORKING REAL CLOSELY WITH THE, WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CENTER POINT, DR.
PER, UH, CHIEF PENA, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, POLICE, UH, FIRE, AND THEN, UH, HOMELESS COALITION TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE
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A PLAN IN PLACE TO KEEP PEOPLE COOL.AS THE MAYOR SAID, UH, COOLING CENTERS THAT WILL BE OPEN ON SATURDAY.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE 28, UH, CITY LIBRARIES THAT ARE GONNA BE OPEN THAT PEOPLE CAN GO TO, AND THEN ALSO 18 PARK COMMUNITY CENTERS.
NOW, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT GRAPHICS.
THEY SHOW THE FIRST ONE, UM, WITH ALL THE SPECIFIC ADDRESS LISTED WHERE THE, THE PARKS COMMUNITY CENTER RIGHT THERE.
THEN THE OTHER ONE WAS, UM, THE LIBRARIES ON SUNDAY.
UH, THERE'S GONNA BE, UH, FIVE DIFFERENT FACILITIES, UH, OPEN, AND THAT'S GONNA BE A MIXTURE OF, UH, THE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY, TWO PARKS, COMMUNITY CENTERS, AND THEN TWO MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS.
UH, OEM IS ALSO MONITORING, UH, THE, THE ERCOT, UH, GRID CONDITIONS.
WE LOOK AT, UH, DEMAND, WE LOOK AT CAPACITY, AND WE LOOK AT, UH, UH, RESERVES, OPERATING RESERVES.
CENTERPOINT ADVISED US ABOUT AN HOUR AGO THAT THEY, THAT THEY DO NOT ANTICIPATE HAVING ANY PROBLEMS OR OUTAGES, UM, THIS WEEKEND.
SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE IN, IN GOOD SHAPE.
UM, IN ADDITION TO SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'LL BE PROVIDED HERE TODAY, UM, I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO REVIEW OUR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS GUIDE.
UM, PROVIDES INFORMATION ON CHECKLISTS, INFORMATION, UH, DIRECTIONS ON, ON HOW TO KEEP, HOW TO KEEP, UH, PEOPLE SAFE, UH, DURING SEVERAL EMERGENCIES.
YOU CAN FIND THIS ON OUR, UH, WEBSITE, HOUSTON OM.ORG.
UH, UNDER THE, THE, THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, UH, SECTION.
IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE IN SIX DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
UH, HERE TODAY I HAVE, UH, ONE, ONE BOOK IN ENGLISH AND ONE BOOK IN SPANISH.
YOU CAN FIND INFORMATION ON OUR COOLING CENTERS, TIPS TO STAY COOL, HURRICANE, UM, HAZARDS, AND THEN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.
AND SINCE WE'RE IN A, SINCE WE'RE IN HURRICANE SEASON, NOW'S THE TIME TO, UH, MAKE A PLAN, BUILD A KIT, STAY INFORMED, AND AS THE MAYOR SAID, HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS.
AND I DO WANNA ADD, BECAUSE WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT THE, THE, UH, TEMPERATURES ARE GONNA BE HIGHER THIS SUMMER.
UH, WE ANTICIPATING THAT THERE WILL BE, UM, UH, WEATHER EVENTS.
UH, SO THIS WILL ALSO BE A GOOD TIME TO REALLY START, UH, STACKING UP ON WATER.
UH, SO SUCH THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN A HURRICANE DOES COME, YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO RUSH TO THE STORES.
YOU NEED TO STAY HYDRATED ANYWAY, UH, SO TAKE THOSE MEASURES INTO ACCOUNT, UM, AND, UM, SO THAT WE ARE NOT HAVING TO RUSH TO GET READY TO GET PREPARED.
UM, I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE THREE COMMON HEAT ILLNESSES.
AND PEOPLE OFTEN THINK THAT THEY'RE ALONG A SPECTRUM, THAT YOU GET ONE AND THEN THE NEXT AND THE OTHER.
THAT'S, THAT SOMETIMES HAPPENS, BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE.
THE THREE ILLNESSES ARE HEAT CRAMPS, HEAT EXHAUSTION, AND HEAT STROKE.
AND YOU CAN DEVELOP ANY ONE OF THOSE AS YOUR INITIAL SYMPTOM.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCES.
NOW, HEAT CRAMPS ARE WHAT THEY FEEL LIKE.
YOU GET A MUSCLE CRAMP YOUR CALF COMMONLY OUTSIDE RUNNING, PLAYING TENNIS, JUST DOING GARDENING, WHATEVER.
AND THE MUSCLE SPASMS UP, EASILY TAKEN CARE OF.
GET HYDRATED, GET INTO SOMETHING COOL, LET THE MUSCLE REST.
HEAT EXHAUSTION IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
PEOPLE WHO JUST ALL OF A SUDDEN FEEL LIKE THEY'RE VERY, VERY EXHAUSTED, TIRED, FATIGUE, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT SHORT OF BREATH, THEY'RE GENERALLY SWEATING PROFUSELY.
IT CAN COME ON QUITE SUDDENLY.
AGAIN, EASILY TREATED BY GETTING OUT OF THE HEAT, GETTING HYDRATED, TAKING IT EASY PROBABLY FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.
THIS IS A TRUE LIFE-THREATENING EMERGENCY.
AND YES, YOU CAN GO FROM NORMAL RIGHT INTO HEAT STROKE.
HEAT STROKE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
IT OCCURS WHEN YOUR BODY'S COOLING MECHANISMS ARE OVERWHELMED AND YOUR BODY STOPS COOLING ITSELF.
THE HALLMARK SYMPTOMS WHICH PEOPLE NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR THE TWO HALLMARK SYMPTOMS ARE ONE, CONFUSION.
OFTEN THE FIRST SYMPTOM, IF SOMEBODY GETS CONFUSED, WHICH MEANS THEY ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELF, WHICH MEANS WE CANNOT EXPECT THEM TO GET OUT OF THE HEAT AND IN THE AIR TANK, SOMEBODY, SOMEBODY ELSE IS GONNA HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE CONFUSION AND GET AND HELP THEM.
THAT IS OFTEN COUPLED WITH DRY SKIN.
I SAID THAT IT OCCURS WHEN YOUR BODY'S COOLING MECHANISMS GET OVERWHELMED.
WELL, YOUR PRIME COOLING MECHANISM IS TO SWEAT.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENS IS YOUR BODY STOPS SWEATING.
IT IS A DYSFUNCTION OF YOUR BODY AS A MALFUNCTION.
YOU STOP SWEATING, YOU STOP COOLING, YOUR TEMPERATURE GOES UP, AND YOUR BRAIN BEGINS TO DYSFUNCTION.
SO THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE OUTDOORS, PARTICULARLY PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING OUTDOORS.
THEIR COWORKERS NEED TO BE WATCHING OUT FOR EACH OTHER SO THAT IF HEAT STROKE OCCURS, THEY QUICKLY GET THAT PERSON OUT OF THE HEAT AND CALL 9 1 1.
THIS ISN'T SOMETHING YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF.
THESE PEOPLE HAVE GOT BODY COURT TEMPERATURES OF 104, 105.
THEY NEED TO BE TAKING CARE OF A HOSPITAL.
IT IS A TRUE RAPIDLY DANGEROUS, UH, LIFE-THREATENING EMERGENCY.
AND AGAIN, THE HALLMARKS ARE CONFUSION.
HOT RED, DRY SKIN, THEY STOP SWEATING, AND YOU CAN, AND SOMEBODY NEEDS TO BE WATCHING OUT FOR THEM.
SO ONE OF MY, UH, ASKS FOR EMPLOYERS OF PEOPLE WHO WORK IN HOT ENVIRONMENTS LIKE OUTDOORS, OR EVEN SOMEBODY WHO WORKS IN A HOT KITCHEN AND USUALLY STEPS OUTSIDE TO COOL OFF.
THEY'RE GONNA STEP OUTSIDE TODAY INTO
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ANOTHER HOT ENVIRONMENT.SO IF YOU ARE THAT EMPLOYER, YOU NEED TO START THINKING NOW ABOUT WHAT YOU DID LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE AND THE YEAR BEFORE THAT.
AND THAT IS TO ADJUST YOUR WORK SCHEDULES, MAKE SURE PEOPLE GET LONGER BREAKS.
MAYBE YOU START EARLIER IN THE MORNING, MAYBE YOU TAKE LONGER, BREAK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND WORK LATER THAN THE NIGHT.
YOU'VE DONE THIS EVERY YEAR BEFORE.
THE POINT IS THIS IS THE WEEKEND TO START DOING THAT, THAT WE'RE AT THAT POINT IN OUR SUMMER.
AND THEN THE LAST THING I WANT TO RUN MIND FOLKS, IS THAT YOU NEED TO, WE TALK ABOUT THE RULE OF LS.
SO YOU WEAR A LIGHT, WAIT, LIGHTLY COLORED, LOOSE FITTING CLOTHES AND DRINK PLENTY OF LIQUIDS.
BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LIQUIDS, THAT DOES NOT MEAN BEER OR ALCOHOL.
ALCOHOL STIMULATE YOUR KIDNEYS AND WILL DEHYDRATE YOU MORE QUICKLY.
IT DOES NOT MEAN SUGARY DRINKS WITH LOTS OF CAFFEINE IN THEM.
THE CAFFEINE WILL STIMULATE YOUR KIDNEYS AND DEHYDRATES YOU MORE, MORE QUICKLY.
AND ALSO, THE HIGH SUGAR CONTENT WILL STIMULATE YOUR KIDNEYS AND DEHYDRATES YOU MORE QUICKLY.
YOU GENERALLY NEED TO, YOU OUGHT TO THINK ABOUT DILUTING THEM A LITTLE BIT.
SO AGAIN, LIGHTWEIGHT, LOOSE FITTING, LIGHTLY COLORED CLOTHES, PLENTY OF LIQUIDS, BUT NOT ALCOHOL, NOT SUGARY DRINKS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH CAFFEINE.
DRINK WATER, SPORTS DRINKS DILUTED.
REINFORCE THAT THE MAYOR SAID.
WE ALSO WORRY ABOUT ELDER FOLKS.
SO IF YOU GOT NEIGHBORS, CHECK OUT ON THEM.
THEY MAY BE TRYING TO CONSERVE MONEY BY NOT RUNNING THEIR AIR CONDITIONING.
LET'S GO TO A MOVIE WITH, UH, ELDER PERSON DOWN THE STREET.
GET 'EM IN SOME AIR CONDITIONING.
SO, AS, UH, HAS BEEN MENTIONED UP HERE, A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS STRETCH OF, OF HOT DAYS IS EXPECTED.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT THE CITY IS DOING, OPENING UP, UH, COOLING CENTERS AND SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE DOCTOR MENTIONED.
BUT, UH, I ALSO WANNA STRESS, AND I WANT TO BE MINDFUL THAT, THAT, UH, WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ADJUST OUR, OUR, UM, ACTIVITIES TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR, OF OUR HEALTH.
UM, THE DOCTOR MENTIONED THAT HEAT STROKE CAN HAPPEN FROM ZERO TO A DIRE EMERGENCY IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE MINDFUL OF WHAT WE'RE DOING, ESPECIALLY WE'RE WORKING OUTDOORS.
THE NUMBER OF CALLS FOR US, IT SEEMS THAT, UH, THIS YEAR STARTED EARLY AS FAR AS THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF HEAT RELATED CALLS.
IF WE AVERAGE THE, THE LAST THREE YEARS BETWEEN APRIL AND MAY, WE'VE SEEN A, AN ALMOST 130% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF HEAT RELATED CALLS THAT WE'VE RESPONDED TO HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, FROM AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 45 CALLS PER MONTH TO AN AVERAGE OF, UH, ABOUT 104 IN THIS LAST APRIL AND MAY.
SO THAT'S, UH, THAT'S SIGNIFICANT FROM MAY TO JUNE, WE NORMALLY SEE THE CALL VOLUME GO UP, BUT THIS YEAR WE'VE SEEN AN AVERAGE OF 230% INCREASE FROM 60 TO ABOUT 199.
SO AGAIN, IT'S, UH, IT'S THOSE ACTIVITIES THAT, UH, THAT WE DO EACH AND EVERY DAY.
IT'S HOT OUTSIDE, IT'S GONNA BE HOT.
BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
THE HEAT RELATED DEATHS THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED, UH, ARE ALSO A CONCERN FOR US THIS YEAR IN 2022.
WE'VE ALREADY SEEN TWO HEAT RELATED DEATHS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT, THAT, UH, HEAT EMERGENCIES CAN OCCUR NOT ONLY OUTDOORS, BUT INDOORS.
WE WANT, UH, WE WANT YOU GUYS TO LOOK OUT FOR THE, FOR THE SIGNS OF HEAT ILLNESSES, DIZZINESS, NAUSEA, HEADACHES, MUSCLE CRAMPS.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT, UH, THAT WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL FOR.
DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE THIRSTY TO DRINK SOMETHING THAT IS A LATE SIGN OF DEHYDRATION.
UM, FOR, FOR KIDS, FLUSH SKIN, DRY LIPS, TONGUE, THAT'S AN EARLY SIGN OF DEHYDRATION.
SO DON'T, DON'T WAIT TILL YOU EXPERIENCE THAT.
AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE YOUNGER KIDS, CRANKINESS, IRRITABILITY, THOSE ARE DEFINITE SIGNS OF, OF DEHYDRATION.
LET'S BE MINDFUL OF THAT AS WE FOCUS ON THE, ON THE HEAT.
WE ALSO HAVE OTHER THINGS THAT WE ARE NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT.
ALMOST 50 CHILDREN DIE IN HOT VEHICLES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH FOR THAT, FOR THE INSIDE TEMPERATURE OF THAT VEHICLE TO HEAT UP.
IT CAN GO UP ABOUT 20 DEGREES IN 10 MINUTES.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE IN THE SHADE OR NOT.
DON'T LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR PETS OR ADULTS THAT, THAT MAY HAVE SOME DISABILITIES UNATTENDED INSIDE A HOT VEHICLE.
HEAT STROKE CAN HAPPEN IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.
THE, THE, UM, A CHILD'S ORGANS BEGIN TO FAIL AT ABOUT WHEN THEIR CORE TEMPERATURE, ABOUT 104 DEGREES.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS GRAPHIC, IT DOESN'T TAKE, UH, A LOT OF MINUTES FOR, FOR THAT TO OCCUR AT 170 DEGREE CORE TEMPERATURE, HEAT, STROKE, AND DEATH CAN OCCUR.
SO AGAIN, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE JUST GONNA BE GOING INSIDE THE STORE, UH, FOR A COUPLE MINUTES.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR PETS, OR AN ADULT WITH DISABILITIES
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INSIDE A CAR UNATTENDED.WE, WE WILL SEE, I EXPECT, YOU KNOW, IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR AND IT'S A TRAGEDY THAT CAN BE PREVENTED.
THE OTHER THING IS WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE HEAT RELATED EMERGENCIES, BUT WE ARE GONNA SEE, UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT MORE DROWNINGS THAN WE SEE HEAT STROKE DEATHS.
SO AS WE, AS WE LOOK FOR WAYS TO COOL OFF DURING THE SUMMER, PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF YOUR CHILDREN.
DO NOT LEAVE THEM UNATTENDED IN NEAR BODIES OF WATER.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A POOL, A CHILD CAN DROWN IN JUST A FEW INCHES OF WATER.
SO BE MINDFUL OF, UH, OF THE CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY AROUND WATER.
AND, UH, LET'S ALL WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT, THAT WE HAVE A SAFE SUMMER.
LOOK AFTER YOUR NEIGHBORS, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT THE ELDERLY AND THOSE THAT MAY BE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE, TO THE HEAT.
AND THEN ALSO JUST WANNA REMINDER THE COOLING CENTER'S OPEN TO, TO EVERYONE.
UH, THEY, THEY WILL BE OPEN TO, UM, OUR SENIORS, CHILDREN, FAMILIES, UM, THOSE WHO ARE HOMELESS, UH, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE PEOPLE GOING OUT AND ABOUT CHECKING ON OUR HOMELESS AS WELL.
I WANT TO THANK MARK EICHENBAUM FOR HIS ASSISTANCE AND ON THOSE INITIATIVES.
AND THEN FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NEED TRANSPORTATION, UH, METRO IS AVAILABLE, NO COST, AND THEY WILL, UH, BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO, TO TAKE YOU TO ONE OF, TO ANY ONE OF THE COOLING CENTERS, UH, AT NO COST.
SO, UH, PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THAT.
IN SOME CASES, PEOPLE MAY JUST WANNA GET ON THE BUS JUST TO COOL OFF.
SO WE WANNA MAKE IT, WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE MINDFUL OF THEIR HEALTH.
UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE, THAT'S WHY WE WANT TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF ALL OF THESE THINGS.
IT IS GOING TO BE HOT AND IT'S GONNA BE HOT AS WE, WE ARE NOW INTO JUNE, UH, THROUGH JUNE AND JULY AS WE, AS WE DEAL WITH EVERYTHING ELSE.
HAVING SAID THAT, IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS TO ANYONE OF THESE GENTLEMEN, THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TIME.
FIRST
YOU'RE REALLY DOWN LIFEGUARDS, RIGHT? I THINK YOU'VE GOT 40 OR SOMETHING AND YOU NEED 147.
AND THESE POOLS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A WAY FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE TO KIND OF COOL OFF.
WHERE ARE YOU ON THAT? THERE ARE 30 THERE, RANDY.
I THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH LIFEGUARDS NOW FOR ABOUT, I WANNA SAY ABOUT 12 OF THEM.
UH, JESS, UH, TODAY, FOR EXAMPLE, I TALKED WITH DIRECTOR ALLEN.
UH, WE ARE INCREASING THE HOURLY RATE AGAIN, UH, FOR, FOR PEOPLE, FOR LIFEGUARDS.
AND WE'RE NOW BETWEEN 15 AND $20 AN HOUR.
UH, WE ARE INCREASING THE SIGNING BONUS FROM 300 TO $500, UH, JUST FOR OUR LIFEGUARDS.
SO WE WERE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO EN TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME AND SIGN UP.
UH, THE POOLS ARE OPERATIONAL, MOST OF THEM.
SO AGAIN, WE ARE INCREASING THE HOURLY RATE ANYWHERE FROM 15 TO $20 AN HOUR, AND A SIGNUP BONUS INSTEAD OF 300.
UH, I'VE AUTHORIZED TO GO UP TO $500.
UM, TRYING, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE THERE.
THAT WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT WAY TO, UM, FOR OUR KIDS AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS TO COOL OFF.
THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION.
ANY ANY, ANY, ANYTHING ELSE, ANYTHING ELSE ON A DIFFERENT TOPIC? UM, YOU'RE A
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U OF H GRAD.ALUMNI, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT, I MEAN, IT'S GONNA BE SOONER THAN EXPECTED, JOINING THE, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
WE ARE LEAVING A CC GOING TO THE BIG, GOING TO THE BIG 12, UH, AS OF, I THINK JULY ONE OF NEXT YEAR.
SO ALL OF THOSE TEAMS ARE ALREADY IN THE BIG 12.
YOU GOT THE CO COMING YOUR WAY.
NO, NOBODY WANTS TO MA MEET THAT COUGAR.
SO, UM, NO, IT'S, IT'S, IT, IT'S, IT IS GOOD FOR THE, FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON PROGRAM, QUITE FRANKLY.
UH, AND IT JUST TELLS YOU HOW FAR WE'VE COME, YOU KNOW, UH, FROM WHEN I WAS AT UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, IT WAS REFERRED TO AS COUGAR HIGH, NO LONGER, NO, PEOPLE DON'T SAY COUGAR HIGH ANYMORE.
AND THEN WE'VE KIND OF BOUNCED AROUND IN DIFFERENT, UM, SORT OF CATEGORIES.
BUT, UH, BUT NOW, UM, UH, HEADED TOWARDS, UH, UH, AND WILL BE PLAYING IN THE BIG 12, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
I GIVE A GREAT DEAL OF CREDIT, UH, TO THE CHANCELLOR, TO THE BOARD OF REGENTS, TO THE PLAYERS, TO THE, TO THE FANS, TO THE ALUMNI.
UH, BUT IT, IT WILL BE A GREAT TIME.
SO I'M, I'M VERY, I'M VERY EXCITED.
HAVING SAID THAT, LET ME THANK YOU ALL.
AND THEN TO THOSE WHO, THERE ARE GONNA BE A NUMBER OF EVENTS, UH, TOMORROW, UM, MARCHES AND STUFF, PLEASE, PLEASE KEEP THE WEATHER IN MIND.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, ON THE FOLLOWING WEEK IS THE JUNETEENTH WEEKEND.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF EVENTS PLANNED FOR THAT, FOR, FOR THEN PARADES.
PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THE WEATHER, BUT TWO HOURS SENIORS, LEMME SAY TWO HOURS.
UM, I KNOW YOUR GAS MEDICINE UTILITY BILLS, BUT DO NOT BE IN, IN YOUR HOME, UH, IN A LOT OF HEAT.
IF YOUR AIR CONDITIONS WORK, PLEASE, PLEASE TURN ON YOUR AIR CONDITION, UH, AND THEN WE'LL DEAL WITH EVERYTHING ELSE LATER.
OKAY? THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH THERE.
ON A QUICK QUESTION, JUST ABOUT HOW GAS PRICES ARE ED? NO.
WHAT WAS THAT NOW? HOW THE CITIES BEEN AFFECTED FROM THE GRAVITY GAS PRICES? UH, WE'VE HAD TO ADJUST OUR BUDGET UPWARDS.
UH, BEAR IN MIND, I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT OUR FLEET AND WE'VE GOT A HUGE FLEET.
UH, WHEN YOU FACTOR IN OUR, YOU KNOW, POLICE OFFICERS VEHICLES, UM, FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, SOLID WASTE, PUBLIC WORKS, UH, DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD, ALL OF THESE DEPARTMENTS HAVE VEHICLES.
UH, AND IT'S NOT LIKE WE GET A DISCOUNT.
OKAY? UH, AND IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN PARK OUR VEHICLES.
SO WE, WE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS OPEN 24 7.
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE, THE PRICE PER GALLON IS, WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO ROLL.
OKAY? UH, WE NEED IT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE NEED TO KEEP PEOPLE HEALTHY.
UH, SO WE HAVE HAD TO ADJUST OUR BUDGET UP AND JUST LIKE IT'S COSTING PEOPLE IN, UM, IN, UM, WHO ARE GOING TO WORK EVERY DAY.
UM, MOMS, DADS, PARENTS, YOU NAME IT.
UM, THEY'RE PAYING MORE AT THE PUMP.
UH, SO ARE WE AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON? OKAY.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S HITTING ALL OF US.