News
Simple Steps to Get #SummerReady (posted July 9, 2025)
By Adam Behnke, Communications Specialist for Brown County Public Health
The 4th of July holiday last week launched us fully into summer— a time when we spend more time outdoors, take vacations, and do more traveling. Along with all the sunshine and fun comes the possibility for extreme weather. This was tragically demonstrated in Texas, where devastating flash flooding last week killed more than 100 people. In Northeast Wisconsin, summer's most typical weather threats are severe storms and dangerous heat— the latter of which has already smothered the area several time in recent days. So, before your next excursion, we want you to put preparedness on the to-do list. This edition of the Healthy Herald offers some simple tips that everyone can use to get #SummerReady.
Watch Out for Extreme Heat
High heat can be downright dangerous. Ready.gov warns that heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity, and put certain populations at particular risk:
- Lower income households
- Rural communities
- Residents in urban heat islands
- Infants and children
- Older adults
- Laborers
- Individuals with medical conditions
- Athletes
- Muscle cramping
- Unusually heavy sweating
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Weakness
- Nausea
If you are outside, stay in the shade as much as possible and take breaks whenever you can. If your outdoor activities can wait, then it’s strongly advised you complete them during the coolest part of the day, at night, or on a different day with a more favorable forecast. Wear loose, light-colored clothing and make sure to apply sunscreen if you’ll be outside for any length of time.
When indoors, you can use fans, but only if the temperature inside is less than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. At temperatures higher than that, using a fan can actually increase your body temperature.
Use air conditioning at home or find a public place that has it by dialing 2-1-1 or visiting 211 Wisconsin online. You can also check with your local municipality to see if special arrangements have been made for a temporary cooling center. As a standard practice, the Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay (626 Union Court, Green Bay, WI 54303) operates a cooling center during normal business hours whenever the temperature (actual or heat index) reaches 90 degrees or above.
Drinking plenty of fluids is an important way of protecting yourself during intense heat. Drinking water on hot days helps keep you hydrated, no matter how active you are. Consider carrying a water bottle with you to refill throughout the day. Drink water even when you aren’t thirsty, and limit beverages that are high in sugar, sodium, caffeine and alcohol as much as you can.
Plan With Your Family
Emergencies often come with little to no warning. The government’s #SummerReady advice includes having an established and practiced family plan for storms, power outages, or sudden heatwaves.
It’s important you and your family can answer a few questions before you’re in the midst of an emergency. How will you get weather alerts and warnings? Where will you go if you need to leave home? Who will pick up the kids or pets if power goes out when a storm hits? Keep addresses, emergency contacts, and notes for each family member handy in case you need to grab them in a hurry.
Building a basic summer emergency kit can prove invaluable if something unexpected, like a severe storm, knocks out power:
- Water and non-perishable food to last at least three days
- Flashlight, batteries, phone charger
- First aid kit, medications, important documents
- Pet supplies (don’t forget about your furry family members!)
Brown County Public Health encourages you to use a local warning system, CodeRED, to receive emergency notifications by phone, text, and email. Operated by Brown County Emergency Management, CodeRED can be activated to warn users about evacuation notices, utility outages, water main breaks, fires, floods, chemical spills, and other emergency situations.
There is no charge for using CodeRED and your personal information is kept confidential. You can register by clicking here.
A little preparation and knowledge can go a long way toward safely navigating the next period of severe summer weather. Knowing what to do, and what to grab during an emergency, can give you the peace of mind to relax and embrace the fun that summer offers.
Stay Healthy, Brown County!
Resources
https://www.ready.gov/summer-ready
https://www.cdc.gov/heat-health/about/index.html
https://211wisconsin.communityos.org/
https://www.browncountywi.gov/departments/emergency-management/general-information/code-red/
https://apnews.com/article/texas-floods-victims-camp-mystic-death-toll-ea38edadc7e965fb2c76c0ec46245a82