With another heatwave on the way, the Howard County Health Department is reminding the community to stay cool.

Speaking at the Howard County Local Emergency Planning Committee's (LEPC) quarterly meeting, the health department urged people to take care of each other whenever extreme heat hits.

The WJZ First Alert Weather Team says Friday's heat index could well surpass 100 degrees.

Keeping cool

Anika Holland does everything she can to keep herself and her family safe in the heat. Sometimes, she gets creative to keep summer fun for her son.

"I give him a lot of popsicles that are sugar-free to keep him cool," Holland said. "We've been going to water slides."

The WJZ First Alert Weather Team said the toughest stretch of the upcoming heatwave will be Friday through Tuesday.

Friday and Tuesday will have the highest feel-like temperatures.

Ahead of this, Lenora Painter, director of the Bureau of Infection Control and Public Health Readiness at the Howard County Health Department, shared age-old advice to stay cool.

These tips included limiting physical activity to early morning or evening, finding shade, and staying hydrated.

But Painter also stressed the importance of checking up on each other.

"We can make sure that we have decided as a community, area, neighborhood, that we wanna make sure we are helping each other," Painter said.

She also said, citing state health data, that there have been 12 heat-related deaths so far this year in Maryland.

Baltimore City and Baltimore County have reported the most, with each reporting two deaths.

Holland always prioritizes checking up on her community.

"I send reminders to my friends and family members to drink water," Holland said. "I have a neighbor who's older, so I'll text her just to say 'Hey, are you okay over there? Do you need anything?' Just to check in because I think that's important."

Preparing and handling the heat

Whether it's heat rash or something more serious like heat exhaustion, Painter stresses finding somewhere to cool off and stay hydrated.

She said you should always take immediate steps to cool down when the heat index is 90 degrees or higher, there are excessive heat watches, warnings, or advisories in effect, and if there's a rapid escalation of heat illness symptoms.

To prepare for an incoming extreme heat event, Painter recommends creating a cool room plan. This is identifying the coolest space in your home that you can get to if you're starting to feel hot.

It also helps to have fans on, as well as blackout curtains and reflective window covers up.

Painter also suggests having a maintenance check on your home's air conditioning units, and have a plan for alternative cooling if it were to go out.