Story and photos by Joseph Sapia
DAN DUFFY DID not have to step outside or look at a thermometer to know it was heat-wave hot outside.
He could tell by the food he was selling at his Cracked Olive Market in Holmdel Village – “a lot more fruit, fresh salads,” he said. Not, say, the thick sandwiches or the hot soup he would sell on a normal day.
“Everybody’s a step slower,” Duffy said. “The last thing you want is a heavy meal. That slows you down as well. You think of Thanksgiving, everyone wants that nap.”
No wonder, the area last week was in the midst of a heat wave, which the National Weather Service defines as “a period of abnormally and uncomfortably hot and unusually humid weather.” During the Wednesday, July 6, to Friday, July 8, period, temperatures were in the 90s with humidity levels nearby.
“If you have high heat and high humidity, the body loses its ability to cool,” said Mike Hudson, a paramedic who is captain of Sea Bright Ocean Rescue.
Mike Applestot, who works for the Monmouth County road department, was cutting roadside grass in Holmdel. He had the cab windows of his tractor open.
“There’s no air conditioning, killing me,” said Applestot, 49, a Keansburg resident. “It gets tough.”
So, Applestot dealt with the heat by “drinking a lot of water” and taking breaks in cool places. “Days like this, they don’t want you to not take breaks,” Applestot said.
And for lunch?
Watermelon from the Cracked Olive.
“That’s the way of coping,” Applestot said.
A woman walks along the Atlantic Ocean in Monmouth Beach, while others are in the surf.
“All the guys working outside, they’re all trying to get started as early as possible or as late as possible, because that middle of the day is brutal,” Duffy said. “The people in offices are only complaining if the air conditioning isn’t working.”
At the Cracked Olive, not only was it hot – about 90 degrees on that late Friday morning – but the air conditioning was being repaired because it was not working properly.
But for some, working in the heat was a breeze.
In Monmouth Beach, Special Officer James Courtney was winding down a shift at mid-day of helping pedestrian beach traffic cross the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Valentine Street.
“Today, six hours,” said Courtney, who lives in Middletown. “Yesterday, I was out for 13. I get a break as needed.”
But, in between helping pedestrians, he had a chair under an umbrella that provided shade. He drank water and kept his hat wet with water.
“I eat light, you’ve got to eat light in this weather,” Courtney said.
“There’s a breeze,” Courtney said. “It’s easy to stay cool.”
Some had to be in the heat, perhaps because of their jobs. Others chose to be in the heat, not letting it ruin their day.
Greg Santollo, 31, and Keith Renfroe, 42, both of Atlantic Highlands, were on a long bicycle ride. They had already ridden from Atlantic Highlands to Asbury Park, then back north through Colts Neck and into Holmdel.
“We’re 60 miles in,” said Santollo, as they took a break.
“Three water stops,” Renfroe said.
They also were taking sodium and potassium supplements. They were planning to continue, heading back to Colts Neck, before heading home.
“It’s probably going to be be 85, 90 (miles),” Renfroe said.
Karen Josselyn of Oceanport was headed to the beach.
“We go to the beach every day,” said Josselyn, 49. “And I love the heat. I ran on the beach this morning. The summer brings back the best in me.
“You just have to stay ahead of the heat,” she said. “Drink fluids, take cover if you have to.”
Despite the heat, there did not seem to be major problems, so people apparently were taking care of themselves.
“We’ve had a couple of heat emergencies (in Sea Bright) over the last couple of days, but nothing of (a) critical nature,” Hudson said. “The heat coming off the sand is hotter than the ambient temperature.”
Hudson said the heat incidents he had dealt with were minor heat exhaustion.
“Stay hydrated, keep in shade,” said Hudson.
Heat likely will have a greater impact on infants, the elderly or those with underlying medical problems, Hudson said.
“Alcohol and drugs play a big factor in any environmental emergency,” Hudson said.
Like it or not, more heat is expected. The National Weather Service is forecasting temperatures hitting around 90 degrees at the end of this week.
“I’ll never complain about the heat,” Josselyn said. “Eighty-five and 90 (degrees) and sunny is perfect for me.”
Of course, people do complain about the weather.
“If they’re not complaining about the heat, they’re complaining about the cold,” Duffy said. “I feel it wasn’t that long ago we were complaining about the cold in February.”
