New Orleans, La. -
Scorching temperatures this week are forcing everyone to search for ways to stay cool in and around New Orleans.
For many residents, the easiest way to beat the heat is to find one of the 12 city-owned pools, and get wet!
Vic Richard is the CEO of the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission. He monitors the pools and says he and his team are prepared for an onslaught of swimmers, thanks to this heat.
"We have 124 lifeguards on duty from the time we open at 9:00, until the time we close at 6:00. They rotate in shifts but whenever we know the crowd is going to be heavy or a camp will come in, we have the flexibility to roll them over or keep them longer to make sure we have enough staff," Richard explains.
All 12 city pools are open to the public seven days a week.
One place where residents weren't swimming Tuesday was Lake Pontchartrain. But there were quite a few people out fishing. 11-year-old Davon told us what he thought of the weather saying, "Really hot. Really, really hot."
The heat won't keep Davon and his grandfather from doing what they love. They just make sure to have extra water on hand, and take breaks in the shade every few minutes.
Minnesota native Michael Bottorff says he doesn't think the temperature is all that hot. In fact, he ventured out Tuesday in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. But perhaps he's regretting that decision, saying he had to roll up his sleeves to keep cool because, "That's all I can do right now until I can go swimming later."
Over by Audubon Park, maintenance worker Lamont Frankel was dressed in much cooler attire, but Frankel told us it was still hard for him to work outdoors. "It's just really hot. It's extreme," Frankel said.
He and many other people who had to be outside received strict instructions from their supervisors. Frankel explained, "Drink plenty water, keep plenty liquids, and hydrate my body."
You can never be too careful when it's this hot out.
