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While driving to work this past week, I noticed the temperature shortly after 7 a.m. was already 88 degrees at Kemper Williams Park.
On the way, I passed a couple fellas towing a bay boat who obviously were heading to the landing. Though I was going to work and they were heading out for some recreation, we both were going to be experiencing a really hot day with heat indexes easily surpassing 100 degrees.
There is a plethora of information available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration that is work related but can be used as guidance when out on the water fishing or boating.
Take the heat index, for example. It was developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, to help determine the risk of heat-related illness for outdoor workers. One thing for sure and you can ask any angler, particularly those who fish saltwater if at the end of a full day on the water they’re not tired and worn out from the heat.
What’s interesting is NOAA developed the index values for shaded conditions and light winds. One of the important considerations, as noted by NOAA, is under full sunshine, the heat index can increase up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s significant, because when you’re fishing Locust Bayou, Pelligrin Cut or Old Oyster Bayou down around Point Au Fer Island, it’s all sunshine.
Essentially, when the heat index is less than 91 degrees Fahrenheit, your risk level is low. When the heat index is 91 degrees Fahrenheit to 103, the risk is moderate. You need to take start taking precautions. The level of risk gets more dangerous when the index is 103 degrees Fahrenheit to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. And when it’s greater than 115 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s extremely dangerous.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, is an excellent resource to obtain tips for dealing with heat stress. According to the NIOSH Fast Facts bulletin, heat stress can be caused by exertion or hot environments.
When fishing coastal Louisiana in the summer, you’re exerting yourself “and” doing it in a hot environment.
Some of the symptoms of heat stroke the Fast Facts bulletin includes are high body temperature; confusion; loss of coordination; hot, dry skin or profuse sweating; a throbbing headache; seizures; and coma.
The bulletin list symptoms of heat exhaustion as rapid heartbeat; heavy sweating; extreme weakness or fatigue; dizziness; nausea and vomiting; irritability; fast, shallow breathing; and slightly elevated body temperature.
For heat stroke first aid, NIOSH recommends moving the individual to a cool shaded area, remove excess clothing, and applying cool water to their body, all while seeking immediate medical attention.
For heat exhaustion, first aid would be rest in a cool location and drinking plenty of water or other cold beverages. Additional first aid would be to take a cool shower, bath or sponge bath.
Heat cramps are something else to be concerned with. Described as muscle cramps, which include pain and spasms in the abdomen, arms or legs, initial first aid is stopping all physical activity and drink clear juice, water or a sports beverage. In all cases, it’s important to seek medical attention if symptoms persist.
If you know you’re going to be fishing in conditions with moderate to high risk indexes, it means you should do some planning. One of the things Mrs. Flores packs when going down river or out to Marsh Island with me to fish is a plastic container of cold watermelon cut in little ice cube size pieces. I usually bury the container in the ice chest.
One of my faults is I can’t stand to drink water. I have an old saying that water can’t be good for you. It rusts pipes and fish go to the bathroom in it. Nonetheless, under the watchful eye of my spouse, I drink water under duress and we both share the watermelon. So far, so good when it comes to keeping hydrated.
Depending on the type of boat you have, you may or may not have a “T-top” or “Bimini-top” to get out of the sun. A beach umbrella can make the difference between getting overheated and becoming miserable or going home happy.
Other concerns are sunburn and skin cancer. I have two dear friends who are fair skin individuals, and both have had to have non-melanoma skin cancer removed.
There are plenty of brands of ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) clothing on the market, but any exposed skin should be covered with a nice layer minimum of 30 sun protection factor (SPF) sunscreen. Make sure it’s applied to your ears, and if you’re follicly challenged like I am, be sure to apply plenty to your head too.
It’s also important to protect your eyes from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Solar radiation can wreak havoc on your eyes. There are numerous brands of sunglasses on the market, too. Be sure the sunglasses you buy protect your eyes from both UV and high-energy visible (HEV) radiation. UV and HEV rays have been known to cause eye damage.
There is a wealth of information available at the stroke of a finger on your iPhone. All you have to do is put it to use if you’re going to beat the heat this summer.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Flores is The Daily Review’s Outdoor Writer.

PARIS (AP) — Rarely does the demure Paris couture week see a standing ovation.
Even rarer is the whooping and screaming that echoed around the gilded salons of the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild as Pierpaolo Piccioli took his bow following Valentino’s collection Wednesday evening.
Mika, Valentino Garavani, Natalia Vodianova and Tracee Ellis Ross all got to their feet as the rousing operatic voice of Maria Callas played out the sumptuous creations from what was the week’s strongest collection.
Here are some highlights of the last day of haute couture week fall-winter displays.
VALENTINO’S OPERA
With the stirring aria of “Casta Diva,” the couture seemed to take as its starting point the glory days of the height of legend Callas’ career in the 1960s.
Giant brushed-back wig hair and an unstructured celadon blue silk gown with intricate intarsia cape opened the 63-look show in that era’s exaggerated style. It took 1,120 hours to make.
Large round multicolored floral headpieces continued the retro feel.
Loose, exaggerated plays on proportion then followed.
Gargantuan scarf-wraps surrounded the body — and one, in vermilion, came actually attached across the bust.
Bows at the collar in mikado, one in fluorescent yellow, were so big they finished at the hip.
Despite the size, the looks were never over-theatrical as Piccioli ensured to keep the proportions balanced from top to bottom, and in keeping with the models’ body size.
One floor-sweeping triangular feather dress could have been overpowering, but was modelled on 5ft 10 inch model Kaia Gerber, Cindy Crawford’s daughter, with huge va-va-voom hair.
It was archetypal dramatic couture.
GAULTIER’S ODE TO SMOKING
A tardy Naomi Campbell triggered a dangerous media scrum as she entered Jean-Paul Gaultier.
It raised the heat in the already scorching atmosphere as sweating fashionistas fanned themselves with Gaultier-branded fans.
It’s been banned in public — but smoking, the theme of the fall-winter couture, has evidently not been outlawed as a source of fashion inspiration.
The unusual homage by Gaultier to one of the world’s dirtiest, and most glamorous, habits made for a typically tongue-in-cheek collection of 73 varied looks.
A black tuxedo jacket had the words “Gaultier Smoking” emblazoned on the front.
It was a play on words on the French translation of “tuxedo,” “le smoking” — and one that continued in myriad black and white deconstructions of tuxedo looks.
A surreal variation on the red Fez hat from Morocco — a country famed for its shisha pipes — also made an appearance. It covered the face, and from eye slits, the red tassels seemed to hang down like tears.
Tulle mouth masks followed white plume boas representing plumes of smoke.
But the final creation — a giant silver bridal veil — was the most creative look. Its shimmering, five-meter (16-foot) train was so diaphanous, it licked the air and evoked rising smoke.
Pedro Almodovar’s muse, actress Rossy de Palma, applauded from the front row.
ELIE SAAB’S GAUDI
Elie Saab took his itinerant couture inspiration to Barcelona this season.
The famed Modernist architecture of Antoni Gaudi — and its organic lines — were the focus of many of the Lebanese designer’s gowns.
Oversize rounded shoulders, which were sometimes dramatically raised from the body, were a new silhouette variation on the house’s bread-and-butter cinched waist looks.
The industrious Saab couture atelier had got to work to weave the signature crystals, sequins and pearls together to — as the program notes put it — depict “the sinuosity of organic forms.”
The swirling stone reliefs of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs venue, inside the Louvre palace, accentuated the clothes’ architectural lines.
PARIS FASHION GETS TOUGHER ON PRESS
Certain Paris Fashion Week houses pride themselves on careful image control and restrictive press access.
As privately held brands, this is their right — although it can sometimes be excessive and lead to accusations of elitism.
Invitations are sent to carefully selected journalists and buyers, and some houses prefer smaller venues. The system is thought to increase the mystery and cachet of the clothes.
Like Balenciaga, Maison Margiela under John Galliano is one of many with a highly strict policy.
For the second season Maison Margiela extended their media clampdown to all photographic outlets, bar two, sending out a note explaining they would be handling the photography mainly “in-house” for Wednesday’s morning show.
The unusual move means that almost all images of the couture are now under the direct control of the Maison Margiela house.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff reported the following arrests:
Cory Jones, 33, of 562 Ehrlich St., Berwick, was arrested Tuesday at 12:37 p.m. on a warrant for failure to appear on charges of following too close and operating a vehicle with a suspended driver’s license.
A deputy working in booking located a warrant for Jones’ arrest while booking him in on other charges. Jones was released on a $6,500 bond.
Chad Lopez, 42, of 911 Providence St., New Iberia, was arrested Tuesday at 1:14 p.m. on a warrant for failure to appear on the charge of simple battery.
Lopez was transported from the Iberia Parish Jail to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking and incarceration. Bail is set at $4,000.
Terrell Charles, 20, of 1256 Martin Luther King Road, Charenton, was arrested Tuesday at 2:58 p.m. on the charge of battery of a correctional officer.
St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center Corrections deputies encountered Charles while performing feeding duties. Charles became irate with deputies and struck them. Charles was removed from his dorm and booked on said charges. Charles remains incarcerated at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
Billi Driskell, 42, of 123 Cypress Lane, Morgan City, was arrested Wednesday at 1:02 p.m. on a Morgan City Police Department warrant for charges of simple battery and criminal damage to property.
A deputy patrolling Amelia made contact with Driskell on Village Lane and learned of the active warrant for her arrest. Driskell was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking. Bail is set at $30,000.
Herman Jack, 53, of 1148 La. 182, Lot 2, Franklin, was arrested Wednesday at 8:58 p.m. on the charge of possession of crack cocaine.
A deputy patrolling the area of Baldwin observed a subject, identified as Jack, riding a bicycle without a light source. Upon making contact with Jack, the deputy observed him drop something on the ground. The item was later identified as crack cocaine. Jack was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking and incarceration. No bail is set.
Ramsy Souriyakhamphong, 43, of 508 Brooke Drive, New Iberia, was arrested Wednesday at 11:08 p.m. on charges of driving while intoxicated, driving under suspension and improper lane usage.
Deputies patrolling the Franklin area were dispatched to the area of La. 182 near Sawmill Road, for a reckless driver.
Deputies conducted a traffic stop with said vehicle and made contact with the driver, Souriyakhamphong. Upon making contact with Souriyakhamphong, deputies could smell a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from his person. Deputies learned that while traveling on US 90, Souriyakhamphong weaved in and out of traffic, almost striking other vehicles, and also that he was operating the vehicle with a suspended driver’s license. A deputy conducted standardized field sobriety and Souriyakhamphong performed poorly. Souriyakhamphong refused chemical testing. Souriyakhamphong was transported to the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center for booking and incarceration. Souriyakhamphong was released on a $6,250 bond.
Franklin Police Chief Tina Thibodeaux reported the following arrests:
Brandon Davis, 39, of Willow Street, Franklin, was arrested Wednesday at 12:49 a.m. on a warrant for Third Ward City Court for failure to appear on the charge of disturbing the peace by intoxication. Davis was booked, processed, and held on a $368 bond.
Marcus Dupas, 34, of Iberia Street, Franklin, was arrested Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. on the charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Dupas was booked, processed, and held on a $2,500 bond.