With last week’s heat wave and some heat coming up this weekend, there are many things to keep in mind.

Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf says that the recent heat has in part been caused by the windstream being north of the area, keeping cooler northern winds out of the area. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that people aren’t the only thing the heat can affect.

“The heat could be very taxing on the body, which causes a lot of the illnesses, and it affects our infrastructure too. All the way from transportation to utilities to the water to agriculture.”

Kempf mentions a few examples of things that can be affected are railroads, pavement, the electrical grid, crops and livestock. He adds that to help reduce the effects of heat, people should try to make sure they take breaks to keep their body healthy, not run their air conditioners too low so they aren’t constantly running, and when it comes to agriculture, make sure livestock have plenty of water and shade.