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California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith is reminding everyone to protect themselves when temperatures are very high as is expected the rest of this week in most of the state.
The excessive heat warning is in place through Friday, and Dr. Smith would like everyone to stay cool and hydrated.
“It’s going to be a hot week, and we would like everyone to protect themselves from the dangers of excessive heat,” Dr. Smith said. “It is important that everyone stay cool, stay hydrated, stay inside and take other precautions to prevent heat-related illness.”
Extreme heat poses a substantial health risk, especially for vulnerable populations including young children, the elderly, those with chronic diseases or disabilities, pregnant women and people who are socially isolated. Heat-related illness includes cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and death.
Warning signs of heat-related illnesses may include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headache and nausea. Vomiting, paleness, tiredness and dizziness can also be indicators of heat-related illness.
“Taking a moment to check on someone who lives alone can make a big difference in these extreme conditions,” said Will Lightbourne, director of the California Department of Social Services. “Care providers, relatives, friends or neighbors, we all share the responsibility of making our communities safe.”
In areas where air quality is poor, people with heart disease, asthma or other respiratory diseases should reduce or eliminate their outdoor activities.
Schools and programs with children who have sensitive conditions, including heart disease, asthma and other respiratory diseases, should conduct activities indoors as much as possible.
Smith offers the following tips to stay safe during this period of excessive heat:
· Drink plenty of water or juice, even if you are not thirsty. Avoid alcohol.
· If you don’t have air conditioning, visit a cooling center or a public place with air conditioning (such as a shopping mall or library) to cool off for a few hours each day.
· Avoid outdoor physical exertion during the hottest parts of the day. Reduce exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest, and keep physical activities to a minimum during that time.
· Wear a wide-brimmed hat to cover the face and neck, wear loose-fitting clothing to keep cool and to protect your skin from the sun.
· Regularly check on any elderly relatives or friends who live alone. Many may be on medications which increase likelihood of dehydration.
· To prevent overheating, use cool compresses, misting, showers and baths. Get medical attention if you experience a rapid, strong pulse, you feel delirious or have a body temperature above 102 degrees.
· Never leave infants, children, elderly or pets in a parked car. It can take as little as 10 minutes for the temperature inside a car to rise to levels that can kill.
· Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. Chronic exposure to the sun can cause cataracts.
· Liberally apply sunscreen (at least SPF 15) 15 minutes before venturing outdoors and reapply at least every two hours – sunscreen may reduce the risk of skin cancer, the number one cancer affecting Californians.
Get more hot weather tips on CDPH’s Preventing Summer Heat Injuries Web page and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services’ Summer Heat Resources Web site.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – This Friday, Upper Lake's new postmaster will take her oath of office.
The swearing-in ceremony for DeAnn Williams will take place at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at the Odd Fellows Hall, 9480 Main St.
Williams replaces Maria Lane who was promoted as Postmaster Lakeport Post Office.
She will follow a tradition that dates back to 1858 when Upper Lake Post Office was first opened and James Musick was the first postmaster.
Williams started her postal career in 1982 as a city carrier in Oakdale. She became a driver safety instructor in 1998.
In February 2014, she was promoted to supervisor customer service in Grants Pass, Ore. In January 2015, she was promoted as Postmaster Yorkville.
“I am very proud to be an agent in one of the greatest public services in our nation’s history,” said Williams. “My goal is to ensure a positive experience for our customers as well as an encouraging work environment for my employees. I am looking forward to building trusting relationships with this community and its leaders.”
Williams lives in Upper Lake, but she frequents her second home in southern Oregon on the Rogue River. She has a daughter, Sienna, 23.
She enjoys motorcycle riding along the coast and she is an instructor/coach for new motorcycle riders.
As Upper Lake postmaster, Williams manages five employees who process and deliver an average of 1,650 pieces of mail daily to 970 delivery points – business and residential addresses – and 713 Post Office boxes.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Human remains found two years ago near Willits have been identified as belonging to a missing Laytonville woman.
Mendocino County Sheriff's Capt. Greg Van Patten said the remains are those of 25-year-old Rachel Audrey Sloan.
On May 16, 2013, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was notified of some possible human remains that were located burned in a secluded area on Highway 162 north of Willits, Van Patten said.
He said the remains were located and later examined by a forensic anthropologist, who determined that they were human.
DNA samples were recovered and a profile was uploaded into the California Department of Justice and National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, Van Patten said.
Approximately two years later – this past May – family members of Sloan reported her as a missing person, according to Van Patten.
Van Patten said familial DNA samples were obtained from Sloan's family members and compared to the DNA profile from the found remains.
On Sept. 1, the Mendocino County Sheriff's received a DNA report from the California Department of Justice identifying the found remains as Sloan, Van Patten said.
He said Sloan was last seen by her family in Laytonville in August 2012.
Anybody with information on Sloan's death is encouraged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office tip line by calling 707-234-2100.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Lower Lake's newest postmaster was honored at a ceremony on Friday.
Congressman Mike Thompson administered the oath of office to Benjamin Lovato at the afternoon event held at the Russell Rustici Park community hall.
“I am honored to continue a long tradition as postmaster of Lower Lake,” said Lovato, noting that the Postal Service first established its presence in Lower Lake in 1858.
Lovato – who succeeds Sandra Dawson as Lower Lake postmaster – grew up on the North Coast. His family moved from Sonoma County to Lake County in 1989 when he was 10 years old.
Before joining the Postal Service a decade ago he held a variety of jobs, including working as a sous chef and then as a correctional officer at the Lake County Jail.
He said he worked his way up through the Postal Service ranks, serving in Post Offices in Clearlake Oaks, Healdsburg, Hopland, Lakeport, Laytonville, Sebastopol and Ukiah.
Lovato landed his first Postal Service job in 2005 as a part-time clerk in the Lakeport Post Office, transferring to the Clearlake Post Office two years later.
In order to get more hours, he began seeking additional assignments, working about a dozen different offices in two different counties.
In June 2012, he was assigned his first management detail as officer-in-charge – or OIC – at the Laytonville Post Office, a job that gave him experience and resulted in him driving 900 miles a week as part of his commute over the 11 months he worked there.
His next assignment was as OIC in Hopland, where he worked for six months before being detailed as a supervisor customer service at the Healdsburg Post Office in October 2013. In that job he learned how to manage a city delivery unit.
Subsequent assignments included supervisor customer service jobs at the Sebastopol Post Office and in Lakeport, where he was promoted in April 2014.
While at the Lakeport Post Office, Lovato began working with local schoolchildren, teaching them about the art of letter writing, as Lake County News reported earlier this year: bit.ly/1Np9SxI .
From Lakeport, he went on to OIC duties in Clearlake Oaks before receiving the OIC assignment in Lower Lake in May.
His promotion to Lower Lake postmaster became official on Aug. 8.
In his new position, Lovato manages five employees who process and deliver an average of 3,900 pieces of mail daily to 851 delivery points – business and residential addresses – and 1,571 Post Office boxes.
Officials lauded Lovato for his dedication, drive and enterprising nature as he's made his way up through the Postal Service.
Thompson, who worked for the Postal Service while he was in college, pointed out the vital role postal employees play in public service and public safety.
“They are in the community, they know the community. They are first responders in many cases,” he said.
Based on Lovato's example so far, Thompson said he anticipated the community would be well-served by Lovato in his new job as postmaster.
A number of postmasters from around the county attended the ceremony, and Lovato thanked them for their support and assistance along the way. He also extended his thanks to his family and friends for helping him on his journey.
Lovato then presented Thompson – a Vietnam veteran – with a first-issue Purple Heart stamp plaque.
“The last time I got one of these was for not moving fast enough,” quipped Thompson.
When he's not busy making sure the mail gets delivered, Lovato – who lives in Clearlake – enjoys running, biking, snowboarding, skydiving and, most importantly, spending time with his 5-year-old son, Ezra.
Lovato also is a member and does volunteer work for Knights of Columbus and the Lower Lake Community Action Group.
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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A wildland fire burning since last week near Upper Lake has been fully contained.
The Elk fire burned a total of 673 acres, according to a Tuesday night report from Cal Fire.
The fire began on Sept. 2 off of Elk Mountain and Mount Dinger roads north of Upper Lake.
Mop up and patrol on the fire is anticipated to continue through the end of the week, according to Cal Fire.
Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has released the name of a Bay Area woman who died of her injuries following a solo-vehicle crash on Sunday evening.
Lt. Steve Brooks identified the woman as Maki Mitsuya, 35, of Palo Alto.
The California Highway Patrol had previously said Mitsuya was from Oakland.
Mitsuya was riding as the passenger in a 1996 Honda Accord driven by Ioan C. Gruia, 31, of San Francisco when the crash occurred shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday on Highway 29 south of the Hill Road undercrossing, as Lake County News has reported.
Gruia, who was driving southbound on Highway 29 at an undetermined speed, allowed the Honda to drift off the roadway and onto the dirt center median, the CHP said.
The CHP said Gruia overcorrected and lost control of the car, which skidded across the highway, hit a raised curb and a dirt embankment, rolled multiple times and then went down a dirt embankment, landing on its roof.
Mitsuya was pronounced dead at the scene, while Gruia was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, according to the CHP.
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