Heat, Humidity Combine to Torture East
Pastor Dale Morgan
Heat, Humidity Combine to Torture East*
Thursday August 3, 2006 6:16 AM
By DERRILL HOLLY
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Record-breaking heat and oppressive humidity made
people across the eastern half of the country miserable Wednesday and
sent tourists in the nation's capital scrambling for relief in the cool
marble halls of Capitol Hill.
Others forced to work outdoors guzzled icy drinks to cope with the heat
wave that has sent temperatures soaring over 100 across the East and
parts of the Midwest.
``This is unbelievable,'' said Bob Garner, a tourist from Atlanta who
retreated with his family into the air-conditioned comfort of the
Capitol. ``They get the hottest days of the year while we're here.''
By late afternoon, the temperature at Ronald Reagan Washington National
Airport had risen to 99, with a heat index of 106. It was even hotter on
the steaming pavement downtown. In New York, the temperature rose to 101
at LaGuardia Airport and 96 in Central Park. Philadelphia and Baltimore
climbed into the upper 90s.
The National Weather Service posted heat advisories and warnings from
Maine to Oklahoma. Forecasters said the heat would linger until Thursday
night, when a cool front was expected to bring temperatures down into
the 80s.
Thousands who made it through the heat of a day found themselves in the
dark Wednesday night after thunderstorms downed trees and power lines in
parts of Massachusetts. Most of the power was expected to be restored
overnight.
At the Capitol, tourists filled water bottles at drinking fountains and
doused themselves. Others drenched their baseball caps before putting
them on.
At the Library of Congress daycare center, children stayed inside
because it was deemed too hot to swim. Washington Redskins coach Joe
Gibbs cut his players a break by pushing back their 4 p.m. practice
session to 7 p.m.
``It's unbearable, it's oppressive,'' said Joy Haber, 44, who canceled a
trip from Long Island into Manhattan because of the stifling weather.
Her 13-year-old son, Sean, skipped day camp when his bus arrived with a
malfunctioning air conditioner.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city was fortunate that no
fatalities were linked to the brutal weather. Subway riders were in for
a sweltering commute - the temperature was about 111 at a Pennsylvania
Station platform.
The city's electric utility, Con Edison, set its second record in two
days for peak electricity demand, surpassing the level from a day
earlier. The Long Island Power Authority also set a record.
The Dixie Chicks postponed their Wednesday night show at the outdoor
Jones Beach Theater on Long Island because of the scorching heat.
In Philadelphia, concrete worker Bob Ferguson was building walls 32 feet
below street level. ``Down in that hole, there's no air,'' said
Ferguson, who wore the mandatory hard hat, long sleeves, long pants and
work boots.
Bicycle messenger Gravett Dhuja tried to look at the bright side as he
rested near a Capitol Hill office building: ``It's been hot, but rain is
a lot worse for us.''
Authorities in the capital were prepared to go door to door to get
people to public cooling centers, said Mark Brown, deputy director of
the D.C. Emergency Management Agency. The city also passed out fans to
low-income residents and kept its homeless shelters open around the clock.
The same heat wave was blamed for as many as 164 deaths last week in
California.
In Kentucky, an 18-month-old boy was found dead Wednesday inside a van
about 60 miles northeast of Lexington. The vehicle's doors were locked,
and the boy's mother had to break a window to get to the child,
authorities said.
Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia hoisted black flags at gymnasiums and
ports to caution sailors against doing strenuous exercise outdoors.
In Boston, animals at the Franklin Park Zoo were kept cool with
sprinklers and frozen treats. The African wild dogs and lions got frozen
blood; the primates received frozen fruit juice.
``It's a matter of taste, I guess,'' zoo President John Linehan said.
Boston authorities awaited autopsy results on a pregnant woman who died
Saturday after collapsing at a sweltering Red Sox game. Denise
Quickenton, 29, suffered an apparent heart attack after sitting in sunny
bleacher seats where the temperature was at least 90 degrees, officials
said. She was seven months pregnant, but a medical team was able to
deliver her 4-pound infant at a hospital.
Some Washington tourists pressed on with their plans, gulping bottled
water and fanning themselves with brochures outside such landmarks such
as Union Station and the Washington Monument.
``The humidity is so bad - not like in Spain,'' said Carlos Mulas, 56,
of Madrid, before boarding a tour bus. ``But Washington is so beautiful.
We expect to enjoy it.''
Several members of tourist Gregg Selewski's extended family spent their
nights in a recreational vehicle parked at a campground in Greenbelt,
Md. They vowed to see everything, despite the heat.
``This is what we came to do,'' said Selewski, 13, of Canton, Mich.
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Associated Press writers Desmond Butler in New York City and Adam
Gorlick in Springfield, Mass., contributed to this report.