Even with heavy rain expected this weekend and into next week, people without shelter from the summer heat will still need plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
“Right now, we are seeing a lot of people going down due to heat exhaustion and the lack of access to water,” says Jennifer Holmes-Finnemore who volunteers with Lloydminster & Vermilion for Equity (LVE) Street Team.
Jennifer credits the work of EMS, police, and fire staff for their efforts. On Thursday, May 28, with the humidex reading at 36 in Lloydminster, she went out with her daughter, and they handed out 86 popsicles and 96 bottles of water.
“We were out of water within half-an-hour.”
The duo was just in the downtown core covering a few streets and back-alleys.
“While we were out, we came across two unhoused people who had dropped. People just assumed that it was from an overdose. People were using Narcan, but it was not helping. It was not until EMS arrived that the paramedics realized it was not an overdoes but heat exhaustion.”
Jennifer says they met five people who were on the ground because of the heat.
“Not anything to do with drugs or alcohol but strictly because they did not have access to water.”
Water needed
Street Team is asking for donations, particularly water as the summer weather heats up. Jennifer notes people who are on medications like anti-depressants are also at higher risk for heat exhaustion.
“Any type of medication that unhoused people are on for these health conditions also increases the risk for heat stroke.”
Anyone willing to help can reach out to the LVE Street Team on social media or email: Lloydminstervermilionforequity@gmail.com.
LVE is thankful to numerous donors to date including Onion Lake Enterprise for its donation of water.
