Too hot to handle

Five Towners brave heat wave, record temps
      Last week's heat wave with record-breaking temperatures nearing the hundred mark and high humidity made being outdoors feel like standing in an oven.
      Hot-weather advisories were issued throughout the New York area as officials urged people to stay indoors, out of the blistering, hot sun.
      But for many locals, that was impossible.
      Howard King of Inwood was forced to bear the heat doing heavy labor as a construction worker.
      It's horrible, King said. I'm barely making it through the day.
      Ricardo Johnson, who works for Dalsimer Florists, had to deliver bouquets of flowers around the neighborhood.
      It's rough, Johnson said. But I've been drinking a lot of water, which really helps.

Hitting the beach

      Getting into the water also made the sultry weather somewhat bearable. Bill DeGennaro, manager of Atlantic Beach's eight residential beaches, said that many people flocked to beach last week to beat the heat.
      It's definitely been a lot more crowded during the week than normal, he said. People are just trying to keep cool.
      To stay cool, and healthy, DeGennaro said limit your time in the sun, keep hydrated by drinking a lot of water, continue to reapply suntan lotion, and always swim with a buddy.
      But for some residents, even the beach was too unbearable to endure during the heat wave.
      I had to leave the beach because I almost had heat stroke, said Atlantic Beach resident Heather Goorland. Instead, she and her five-month-old baby, Sam, enjoyed the cool air pumping throughout the house courtesy of central air conditioning.

Energy concerns

      Richard Kessel, chairman of the Long Island Power Authority, called the surge of soaring temperatures a heat storm