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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2017)
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2017 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL NEWS Record-breaking heat expected Thursday, Friday expected to break records in Hermiston Where to go to beat the heat By GEORGE PLAVEN STAFF WRITER By GEORGE PLAVEN STAFF WRITER Break out the fans and crank up the air condition- ing — this week is gonna be a scorcher across the Co- lumbia Basin. Temperatures are ex- pected to hover above 100 degrees and may set re- cord highs as a massive heat wave grips the Pacifi c Northwest. Jim Smith, me- teorologist with the Nation- al Weather Service in Pend- leton, said the two hottest days will be Thursday and Friday before temperatures gradually begin to drop back down into the high 90s over the weekend. Hermiston is primed to break the record on both Thursday and Friday. The forecast for Hermiston calls for 105 degrees Thursday and 107 degrees Friday, beating the record highs of 103 degrees and 105 de- grees, respectively. That intense heat has certainly caught the atten- tion of local health and recreation offi cials, who are urging precaution when heading outdoors. Dr. John Hitzman, Uma- tilla County public health offi cer, said kids and the elderly are the most vulner- able to heat-related injuries. He emphasized the need to stay hydrated in such swel- tering conditions, and no, alcohol and caffeine drinks do not count. “Dehydration is the biggest danger people run into in the hot weather,” Hitzman said. “They may not realize how dehydrated they’re getting until it’s too late.” When people become dehydrated, Hitzman said STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Children play in the Columbia River near McNary Beach on Monday in Umatilla. they may feel dizzy, light- headed and eventually be- come delirious or pass out. It is important to monitor sweat losses closely, he said, and drink plenty of appropriate fl uids to avoid a potentially life-threatening situation. “Some people actually die from heat-related inju- ries,” Hitzman said. “When their body stops sweating, they’re already starting to get into some pretty big trouble.” Hitzman also recom- mended people wear plen- ty of sunscreen and light- weight clothing if they plan to go outside, and take frequent breaks from direct sun exposure. Otherwise, Hitzman said people should stay inside especially during the heat of the afternoon if they don’t have to go out. “There’s obviously a whole lot of common sense that has to take place,” he said. On Monday, Oregon OSHA reminded employers in labor-intensive indus- tries such as construction and agriculture to monitor their employees closely for any signs of trouble. Penny Wolf-McCormick, health enforcement manager for Oregon OSHA, said those workers need to be provid- ed with drinking water and given shaded areas to take breaks in order to prevent heat exhaustion. “Employers and work- ers in Oregon need to be especially aware of the dan- gers of working high heat,” Wolf-McCormick said in a statement. “That’s be- cause workers here tend to be used to working in mild weather and are frequently not acclimated to this type of heat.” If someone is suffering from heat exhaustion, the American Red Cross rec- ommends moving the per- son to a cooler location, loosening or removing clothing, applying cool, wet towels and providing fl uids such as a sports drink to re- store both water and elec- trolytes. If the condition worsens or the person loses consciousness, call 9-1-1 immediately. Tom Roberts, Umatilla County emergency man- ager, said his offi ce will be sponsoring a number of misting fans at next week’s Umatilla County Fair to keep the crowds cool. As for this week’s triple-dig- it onslaught, he is urging people to heed the warnings and protect themselves. “We’re not taking the heat lightly,” Roberts said. “Extreme heat causes a lot of death each year. By sim- ply taking some precautions when the temperatures start to rise, you can mitigate a lot of that.” Looking for places to escape this week’s stifl ing heat wave? Here are a few suggestions: • Hit the pool Public swimming pools are open in Pendleton, Hermiston, Milton-Free- water, Boardman, Heppner and Helix. However, just because you are sur- rounded by water doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still be hydrating. “It’s important to monitor sweat losses and maintain hydration, even at the pool,” said John Hitzman, Umatilla County public health offi cer. So make sure to keep drinking plen- ty of fl uids. And, of course, wear lots of sunscreen to protect your skin. • Cool out in the Columbia Some popular recreation areas around the Columbia River near Hermiston and Umatilla include McNary Beach, Hat Rock State Park and Sand Station, where visitors can put in their boats or go for a dip. But swimming in a river isn’t the same as swimming in a pool, and certain precautions need to be taken. “It’s always unpredictable,” said Gina Baltrusch, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Walla Walla. “Just because the water is calm at the surface doesn’t mean it’s not moving at a good fl ow.” In other words, be aware of undercur- rents and fl oating hazards, such as logs and debris. Water temperatures in the Columbia also remain low year-round, and hypothermia is a possibility no mat- ter how scorching the air temperature. Lifeguards are not on duty at the riv- er, even within designated swimming areas. Boaters should wear life jackets, Bal- trusch said, and be aware of fl uctuating water levels when anchoring or tying up their boats. • Go camping The Umatilla National Forest offers plenty of lakes and campsites around the Blue Mountains to cool down, including Jubilee Lake near Tollgate, Olive Lake in the North Fork John Day Ranger Dis- trict and Penland Lake in the Heppner Ranger District. “I imagine a lot of our water recre- Stanfi eld plant shuts down for repairs By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER The 3D Idapro dehy- dration plant in Stanfi eld briefl y halted operations Monday to make minor re- pairs to the facility. They expect to resume working by Tuesday, but would stop again on Tues- day afternoon and evening to accommodate the near- by National Night Out pic- nic. The temporary pause on factory activities is a result of weeks’ worth of complaints from residents about odors from the facto- ry and, most recently, a fi re at the plant on Wednesday. Kevin Andreson, Ida- pro’s platform leader for non-grains, said in a press release the company is also taking some steps to mitigate the odors. “On Monday, we are installing a mobile odor control system that is de- signed to neutralize smells from the plant,” he said. “While not perfect, we are hopeful that this tempo- rary measure will help to reduce ongoing odors.” Andreson said the com- pany is in the process of building a new fi ltration system that will be in- stalled in November. He also said the com- pany has changed the way they purchase and handle raw potato products to reduce the smell coming from those materials. “We want to be a good neighbor for this commu- nity,” he said. “This situ- ation is clearly frustrating to everyone, and we are doing everything we can to resolve it so that Stan- fi eld can continue to be a great place to live.” Stanfi eld residents have been complaining about the smell for weeks to Or- egon’s Department of En- vironmental Quality and, most recently, are con- cerned about an explosion that caused the factory’s bag house to catch fi re. The fi re injured one em- ployee. Andreson said the em- ployee needed a short hos- pital visit for his minor burns but has since been released. A spokesman for Idapro said the initial smell was caused when the plant had a fi re in January, which burned some of the facto- ry’s air purifi cation equip- ment. Several weeks ago, rep- resentatives from Oregon’s DEQ said the company had responded quickly to their requests for answers about the plant and that they were working on a solution. At a Stanfi eld city coun- cil meeting two weeks ago, citizens showed up in droves to protest the facto- ry’s continued operations. Council members direct- ed Stanfi eld City Manager Blair Larsen to begin fi n- ing the factory and seek a court order to shut the fac- tory down. STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS A man pushes a boat away from the shore of Lake Wallula on the Columbia River on Monday at McNary Beach in Umatilla. ation campgrounds will be receiving a lot of use,” said forest spokesman Darcy Weseman. A few reminders for the public — fi re danger has been bumped up to ex- treme in the forest, and Phase B public use restrictions are in effect, meaning campfi res are allowed only in developed recreation sites. The restrictions also prohibit chainsaw use, off-road vehicle travel and limit smoking to cleared areas or enclosed buildings and vehicles. • See a movie or visit a museum. Sometimes the best answer for the cooling off is to stay inside and fi nd some air conditioning. Cinephiles have two choices for movie theaters in Uma- tilla County — Hermiston Cinema or the Wildhorse Cineplex at Wildhorse Resort & Casino. Nothing good playing? How about visiting one of the area’s fi ne museums? Here’s a few recommendations: Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, 47106 Wildhorse Blvd., Mission. Learn about the history and traditions of the Uma- tilla, Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes through interactive exhibits and special events SAGE Center, 101 Olson Road, Boardman. Highlights agriculture and energy around the Port of Morrow and Eastern Oregon. Umatilla County Historical Society, 108 S.W. Frazer Ave., Pendleton. Pho- tographs, books, exhibits and genealogy information available to explore Uma- tilla County’s history. Children’s Museum of Eastern Ore- gon, 400 S. Main St., Pendleton. Bring your child to learn and explore through hands-on play. Survey seeks input from Echo residents The city of Echo wants to receive input from its residents. A survey is available with questions ranging from information about city-maintained streets and dealing with junk cars and debris to thoughts about recreational facil- ities and housing needs. Residents are asked to fi ll out the form and then drop it off at a locked box at Echo City Hall. The survey can be anonymous. When return- ing the form, people can take an item from a bas- ket, which includes local soaps, sunscreen, fl ash- lights and garden gloves. Also, those who fi ll out a raffl e ticket will be en- tered to win a $50 gift certifi cate from Kopacz Nursery. The survey is avail- able at www.echo-oregon. com by clicking on “Au- gust Edition” of the Echo Newsletter. For more in- formation, call 541-376- 8411. The solar eclipse is coming August 21 Discretion and Comfort that’s ready-to-wear. Silk from Signia ™ Come get the coolest eclipse glasses in town at your nearest East Oregonian office, or come visit us at our Umatilla County Fair booth, Aug. 8-12. • Discreet, nearly invisible solution for your hearing loss • Available in three sizes to fi t any ear comfortably • Custom fi t without the wait Clinically proven better than normal hearing with less effort.* 2237 Southwest • Court Place Pendleton, OR 97801 541-276-5053 * Study conducted at the University of Northern Colorado, 2015, examined the effectiveness of the new features of primax by collecting and analyzing ongoing EEG data while subjects performed speech testing. For both primax features SpeechMaster and EchoShield, the objective brain behavior measures revealed a signifi cant reduction in listening effort when the feature was activated. Copyright © 2016 Sivantos, Inc. All rights reserved. Sivantos, Inc. is a Trademark Licensee of Siemens AG. 9/16 SI/17076A D L SO T U O $1 EACH Best deal in town! Pick some up for your friends and family while supplies last. East Oregonian 1-800-522-0255 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton 333 East Main St. Hermiston
