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Brian Lehrer: Lehrer on WNYC. Now the heat. We don't need to tell you that it's scorching hot outside already. That's not a glitch on your weather app. It's supposed to get even hotter. Some forecasts have it cracking 100 degrees on primary day tomorrow, which would break a record for the earliest in the summer that's happened since 1952. On Saturday, Mayor Adams called this heat wave not just uncomfortable but brutal and dangerous for anyone who lingers outside. Yesterday afternoon, Governor Hochul declared a state of emergency in all five boroughs and some other parts of the state because of the heat.

Extreme heat sends hundreds of people to the ER every year and can transform normally harmless areas into dangerous health hazards. Waiting on the subway platform even can feel like standing on the grates of a big mechanical oven. Walking down the street without trees, that can feel like crossing a boiling hot river of heat. Joining us now with tips on staying safe in the heat is Zach Iscol, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Emergency Management, Office of Emergency Management. Commissioner Iscol, welcome back to WNYC.

Zach Iscol: Great to be with you, Brian. Thank you so much for having me on today.

Brian Lehrer: Basic practical advice, your agency posted on X that heat builds, it compounds, it kills quietly. What should people be doing to stay safe in their homes in sweltering heat?

Zach Iscol: Yes, thank you for the question. First off, people need to take heat seriously. We know that heat is one of the biggest killer of New Yorkers. We lose more New Yorkers a year to heat than any other type of weather event. That's number one, is take it seriously. Use air condition wisely. Not only do you want to keep yourself cool, you also want to help us protect the grid so that we don't have power outages or brownouts that could affect schools or hospitals, or critical care facilities. Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or low cool. Don't use heavy appliances during the day. Things like avoiding peak heat.

Try to stay indoors between noon and 6:00 PM. If you're voting tomorrow, try and vote early or later in the day, or if you have other chores that you're doing, try and do it earlier or later. Always check in on your neighbors. Make sure you have a cool options plan. If you don't have air conditioning, we have cooling centers open across the city. You can go to your nearest one by finding out where it is, by calling 311, or going to nyc.gov/beattheheat, and then also finally, I just say know and watch for heat-related symptoms. Dizziness, trouble breathing, rapid pulse, hot, dry, clammy skin. If you're feeling those signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, don't be afraid to call 911.

Brian Lehrer: I want to take a phone call for you from Jennifer in Yorkville. Jennifer, you're on WNYC with Commissioner Iscol.

Jennifer: Hi, thanks for taking my call. I'm a New York City public school teacher, and not all of the buildings have air conditioning yet. I'm wondering if vulnerable people like elderly people and children are-- It's suggested that they go to cooling centers when it's July and August, when school isn't in session, school is still in session. What should kids whose classrooms don't have air conditioning, like mine, what should they be doing?

Zach Iscol: Yes. Thank you for the question. One is we have moved ACs into almost every classroom across the city. On top of that, we monitor actually temperature. Now we have the ability to monitor temperatures in all classrooms. Then, as you know, we use schools as some of our polling locations. Actually, over the last week, we've moved about 4,000 cases of water to the Board of Elections. We've provided over 400 industrial fans to be moved into some of those spaces at every polling location, schools especially, because a lot of those spaces, as you said, don't have ACs, have either a fan or, say, or air conditioning available.

Then finally, we've issued guidance through the Department of Education for events, school activities. We also have backup generators in case there are power outages. In fact, we've hooked one up to a school earlier today. Should there be power outages, we can immediately repower those schools to make sure that they're staying safe.

Brian Lehrer: Jennifer, I hope that's helpful. Thank you very much. Another question for you from a listener. This one in a text message. This says, "Please ask the OEM director to confirm that alcohol consumption increases the risk of heat-related illness." Listener says, "Ignore all those alcohol ads which depict relief from ice-cold beverages on a hot day." Do you have a position on that?

Zach Iscol: Yes, Brian, I feel like that question is asking me to negotiate like a bet between a husband and wife, maybe. Yes, you should try and stay hydrated, which means avoiding alcoholic beverages, diuretics, there are drinks out there that can dehydrate you. That is absolutely correct.

Brian Lehrer: On what you were just describing about the polling places tomorrow. I see that the Cuomo campaign said to the Daily News that the fans and water wouldn't be sufficient. It specifically asked for air conditioning systems to be installed at polling locations without them. I don't know if you can do that in a day. What, along those lines, can you do and is being done?

Zach Iscol: Yes. We have been working very, very closely with our utility partners, the Board of Elections, and the National Weather Service, going back 10 days since we first got the forecast showing that there was an indication of high heat over the next few days. Our agency started working very, very closely with the Board of Education to make sure that we are putting every possible mitigation element in place for early voting and for the election.

As I said, we've moved over 450 industrial fans into polling locations across the city. We've moved thousands of cases of water. Our utility partners have additional crews that are on standby who can immediately respond to any power outages or those types of issues. Then we also have some other contingencies in place in case there are outages or long lines or things of that nature that we can immediately respond to.

Brian Lehrer: Of course, the Cuomo campaign has a particular interest in this, arguably because his base, as we know from all the polls, skews older. The heat is actually a risk factor politically for that particular campaign. Fair to say?

Zach Iscol: Look, I think one of the things that we know, Brian, is that older New Yorkers, people with pre-existing conditions, young people there, there are certain populations around New York City that we know are more vulnerable to heat. Our Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has done a lot of statistic analysis. They publish their heat vulnerability index every year that shows in particular poor communities, communities of color, some of the outer boroughs are more vulnerable statistically to heat. This is something that we all need to be taking seriously.

It's one of the reasons that we are encouraging people, if you are voting tomorrow, to vote early or later in the day to make sure that you're hydrated. It's one of the reasons we put these mitigation measures in place. It's important that we have a safe, free, and fair election tomorrow. My agency takes that very, very seriously. We want people to know that even despite the heat, we're going to do everything we can to make sure that New Yorkers can vote healthily during a heat emergency.

Brian Lehrer: Couple of questions in text messages. One says, "Any advice for fifth-floor walk-up tenement dwellers?" Adding, "It gets hotter at the top," meaning high floors in a building. Another one, "What is his advice about caring for animals, especially dogs, and homes without AC?"

Zach Iscol: Yes, great questions. Number one is the federal government funds, a great program that is administered by the state called HEAP, H-E-A-P. Today's the last day you can actually apply for this. It is funding that will subsidize the purchase of air conditioning units for the summer, heating systems for the winter, can also help you pay your energy bills. We encourage people to take advantage of that program to get AC.

Also, you can always visit a cooling center. We actually have pet-friendly cooling centers as well. Make sure your pets-- I love that question. Me and my wife, we have four kids, three rescue dogs. Make sure your pets are hydrated. Put those little booties on their feet if you're walking them later in the day, where the sidewalk still might be heat. Again, we have cooling centers that are accessible and cooling centers that are also pet-friendly.

Brian Lehrer: We're just about out of time. Are there numbers that people can call for more advice? We're getting various bits of advice that are, in some cases, standard pieces of advice. Listener writes, "Wear loose light colored clothing." Another one, "Have cold, wet washcloths in the refrigerator to rub on yourself if needed." Under what circumstances should people call 311 before 911? We have 10 seconds.

Zach Iscol: In 10 seconds. If it's a emergency, if you are feeling something that could be an impact for your health or your safety, call 911. If you're looking for information about a cooling center, call 311. We have great information available on our website, nyc.gov/beattheheat. Then lastly, I'll just say knowing is half the battle. Sign up for Notify NYC by texting Notify NYC to 692692.

Brian Lehrer: Listeners, if you need it, look up those cooling centers. Commissioner, thanks a lot.

Zach Iscol: Thanks so much, Brian. Great to be with you.

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