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Heat Wave Has Stranglehold on the West

Aired July 11, 2002 - 14:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Out West, it's misery by degrees. A heat wave still has a stranglehold, with triple-digit temperatures as the order of the day. Forecasters say Redding, California, could well break its record high of 118 degrees. Sacramento will be about 10 degrees cooler.

And, Boise, Idaho, where the nation's governors are gathering, should be around 107. More now on the unrelenting heat from Brian Hickey of our Reno, Nevada affiliate, KTVN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN HICKEY, KTVN REPORTER (voice-over): There's never been a hotter day in Reno's history. And for people who work outside, that's not good news.

EDGAR CONRADO, ROOFER: It's really hot. It is really hot.

HICKEY: Edgar Conrado is a roofer, where today the rooftop temperature is hovering around 120 degrees. And that was before noon.

CONRADO: It's hot on the roof.

HICKEY: The crew drinks plenty of waster to beat the heat. Edgar even wears a sweatshirt to protect his skin.

CONRADO: I don't like it, but I need to wear it.

HICKEY: The experts at Washoe Medical Center say, in triple - digit heat you really need to take care of yourself. Watch out for the warning signs of heat stroke.

MIKE MALAY, WASHOE MEDICAL CENTER: A feeling of fatigue, feeling tired, overly tired. You may feel nauseated or start vomiting. If anything like that happens, there's a good chance that you've been exposed either too long or to too intense of a heat.

HICKEY: If road construction has got you hot under the collar, imagine walking in these boots, where the asphalt is more than 125 degrees.

LESTER HEAL, ROAD CONSTRUCTION CREW: I stay under the shade, what of it there is.

HICKEY: And don't be fooled by those little umbrellas. Lester took our thermometer, only to find...

HEAL: One-hundred and seventeen!

HICKEY: In this heat, Lester spends $45 a week on Gatorade.

HEAL: Drink lots of Gatorade, about 10 or 12 bottles a day.

HICKEY: But not all work is this hot. Dale LaFrance (ph) found a high-pressure job to keep his cool.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The water is coming back and hitting me and misting me down and cooling me off.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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