The Brazos Valley has been enduring days of triple digit temperatures and while most people are able to stay inside where air conditioning makes the sizzling heat bearable, there are some who don’t have AC or even fans to keep them cool. Knowing that something like a fan can save lives, KBTX Media, The Eagle and Bryan Broadcasting have partnered with the Salvation Army in Bryan. Fan Support, a two-week effort that starts Monday and ends July 29 will bring relief to those who need it most.
Brazos Valley residents wanting to donate fans can drop them off at the following locations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday:
*KBTX Media, 4141 East 29th Street, in Bryan.
* The Eagle, 1729 Briarcrest Drive in Bryan, front conference room.
* Bryan Broadcasting, 2700 Rudder Freeway South, Suite 5000, in College Station (WTAW 1620, Candy 95.1, KZNE 1150 and KAGC 1510).
If you are not able to drop off a fan, but still want to help, The Salvation Army located at 2506 Cavitt Avenue, in Bryan will accept checks. To make sure your donation is used to buy a fan, all you have to do is write “Fan Support” in the memo line.
At the end of the drive, The Salvation Army in Bryan will distribute the fans. If you need a fan or know someone who does, you can call Monica Contreras at 979-361-0618.
For questions about Fan Support, call KBTX Media at 979-846-7777 or Eagle Editor Kelly Brown at 979-731-4656.
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Eagle Staff Report
Last August, Brazos County sweated through 22 days of temperatures that reached 100 degrees or higher. Two days that month topped out at 107 degrees -- a new high for the area.
And June this year marked the hottest ever in Bryan-College Station, with an average of 85.2 degrees, breaking the previous mark of 84.9 set in 1953.
Here's what has public safety and health care workers worried: It wasn't only the warmest June on record, but also the fourth-warmest month ever locally -- a title that typically goes to a July or August period.
Weather experts say it's just going to get worse as the summer drags on.
With that in mind, The Eagle, KBTX Media and Bryan Broadcasting, along with the Salvation Army in Bryan, are kicking off Fan Support -- a two-week effort to get cool air to those in need. The drive starts Monday and ends July 29.
The public can drop off fans at the following locations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday:
* The Eagle, 1729 Briarcrest Drive in Bryan, front conference room.
* KBTX, 4141 E. 29th St., in Bryan.
* Bryan Broadcasting, 2700 Rudder Freeway South, Suite 5000, in College Station (WTAW 1620, Candy 95.1, KZNE 1150 and KAGC 1510).
The Salvation Army at 2506 Cavitt Ave., in Bryan will accept checks with "Fan Support" in the memo line. Workers with the Salvation Army will distribute the fans. For those interested in receiving a fan, call 979-361-0618 and ask for Monica Contreras.
Bryan Fire Department Chief Mike Donoho said his paramedics witness up-close the damage heat can cause to someone living without air conditioning.
"You've got to have airflow -- just the breeze from a fan is enough to keep a body cool, but without it it's like they're in an oven," Donoho said. "Some of the homes in this area can be upwards of 150 degrees inside -- that's dangerous and can be deadly."
It's not just residents who don't have AC that keeps Donoho concerned.
"It seems there are many elderly people who have AC and don't turn it on for whatever reason -- sometimes it's the cost," he said. "They don't open windows and get the air flowing. Our paramedics see this and are trained to get with neighbors or family members, and work to get them a fan, or convince them to turn on the AC."
An estimated 24 percent of the children in Brazos County live in poverty, and many don't have the benefit of central cooling where they live.
"Imagine what it's like when you get in your car after you've been at work all day -- that's what many people, many families in our community have to experience all day and all night," said Eagle Publisher Jim Wilson.
KBTX General Manager Mike Wright said with the local media and the Salvation Army working together "we can prevent lives from being lost during this deadly heat that's still going to be around for several months.
"Part of our responsibility as members of the community is to ensure that we make life better for our friends and neighbors. While most people can't endure a Texas summer without air conditioning, there are some living without it and that's putting lives in danger," Wright added.
The Centers for Disease Control reports the following relating to a heat wave:
* Extreme heat -- and that's what we experience every summer here -- causes more deaths in the U.S. each year than all natural disasters combined during the same period.
* These deaths are preventable. Air conditioning is the No. 1 protective factor against heat-related illness and death, but not everyone has air conditioning. The CDC advises those who live without air conditioning to try spending a few hours each day in a public building that has AC.
* Not everyone can do that, though. Electric fans help, but sometimes aren't enough. CDC suggests people take a cool shower or bath, and don't use a stove or oven if at all possible.
* Elderly people (65 years and older), infants and children, as well as people with chronic medical conditions, are more prone to heat stress.
* Get informed. Listen to KBTX and Bryan Broadcasting stations, or check their websites, along with www.theeagle.com, for health and safety updates.
* Drink cool, non-alcoholic beverages and increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level.
How to help
Fan Support is a two-week effort that kicks off Monday in which the public can drop off fans for the needy at The Eagle, KBTX Media and Bryan Broadcasting.
The Salvation Army in Bryan will distribute the fans. Call 979-361-0618 to receive a fan.
For questions about drop-off, call Eagle Editor Kelly Brown at 979-731-4656 or KBTX at 979-846-7777.
