What do you do when you can't beat the heat? Cumberland County's homeless speak out
As Cumberland County bakes in a sweltering heat wave in the final days of July, many are taking preventive measures to stay safe and out of the record-breaking heat indices — but hundreds of residents can’t.
The county’s homeless population might take advantage of cooling stations at county libraries, Parks and Recreation centers, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Social Services and the Fayetteville Area System of Transit lobby, but those options are only available during business hours. Furthermore, with fares now in effect for city buses, not all homeless residents may be able to get to those locations to take shelter.
On Thursday afternoon, Tiffany Miller, 38, dabbed at rivulets of sweat with the hem of her T-shirt as she sat inside the downtown library, after walking three blocks from the Manna Dream Center, where she'd eaten a free lunch. Miller said she has been homeless since her house was foreclosed on in February.
“I’m sweating a lot because of the heat,” she said apologetically.
Miller and other homeless residents said the heat is not only uncomfortable but further perpetuates the stereotype that homeless people are dirty and disheveled.
“Your clothes don’t look appropriate when you’re out there trying to get a job and do everything you can to not be homeless,” said Jessica Benge, 41, one of the many homeless people who use the library to stay cool during the day.
Benge said she has been homeless for three weeks after domestic violence forced her out of her Scotland County home. The shelter she was staying at transferred her to Cumberland County, but the shelter here had no space for her, Benge said.
Benge said the heat sometimes makes her lightheaded, and even if she finds somewhere to take a shower, she quickly gets so sweaty that would-be employers turn up their noses.
“I don’t have a place to try to look better to be better,” she said. “I know that everyone wants their city to look pretty, but wouldn’t we all look pretty with jobs?”
Dangerously hot
Toby Carter, program director at LifeLINK Air and Specialty Care, which provides emergency healthcare under Cape Fear Valley Health, said Thursday that the high temperatures can be life-threatening.
“The danger is real,” he said. “When we’re seeing heat indices of over 100, it goes without saying that, that affects everyone.”
All groups are at risk when temperatures are this high, Carter said, but the elderly and very young children may be more easily affected because they can struggle to regulate temperature.
According to Carter, those exposed to high temperatures can suffer from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, sunburn and heat rash, with heat stroke and heat exhaustion being the most severe of the two categories.
“In any of these cases, they are preventable,” he said.
Carter said residents should watch out for the following symptoms, which can be signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke:
Rapid heart rate
Fast or shallow breathing
Dizziness
Confusion
Headache
“It’s good to know the signs,” he said.
Those with symptoms should immediately find a cool source of shelter, hydrate and take a cold shower or bath, Carter said. Anyone with dizziness or a headache should not hesitate to call 911, he said.
Is prevention possible?
Carter said proper hydration before going outside and generally “taking care of yourself” can prevent heat-related illness, but some homeless residents say their situations make that task near-impossible.
Staying properly hydrated and fed can be a problem for homeless members of the community regardless of the temperature, some said. Curtis Stobie, 63, has been staying at the Manna Dream Center shelter but can struggle to find food on the weekends because local nonprofits and shelters only offer meals on weekdays, he said.
“On Saturday and Sunday, there are no food resources,” Stobie said. “Once in a while, somebody’ll show up in a car and they’ll pass out meals, but we don’t know when or where that will be.”
Nelson Montanez, 52, cried as he spoke of his experience with homelessness in Cumberland County. He said he moved here from Miami for a fresh start.
Montanez said he tries to get food from local churches on the weekends, but feels stuck in his circumstances, with the heat and his status as a felon making it even more difficult to search for jobs and potential apartments.
“It’s horrible right now,” he said. “People need help.”
If you suspect you are suffering from heat stroke, call 911. Government watchdog reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County's homeless struggle during triple-digit heat indices
