Heat wave grips Cape Region

The temperature was inching closer to 90 degrees at 11 a.m., June 25, on its way to triple digits. A few wispy white clouds in the distance over the Atlantic Ocean off Rehoboth Beach offered no respite as highs reached at least 90 for the fifth day in a row.

Families and others, some pushing baby carriages or pulling wagons, carrying coolers, umbrellas, chairs, balls and beach bags streamed east toward the beach.

Lifeguard Brady Nicole, 20, looked through mirrored sunglasses as he kept an eye on swimmers along the shoreline from under a red umbrella atop his lifeguard stand.

When the heat becomes oppressive, there are more risks for lifeguards and sunworshippers alike, said Nicole, who is in his fourth year working at Rehoboth Beach.

“We get in the water and hydrate as much as possible,” he said. “The water is our biggest friend, especially during this hot weather.”

In addition to watching over the shoreline, lifeguards are taught to look out for signs of heat exhaustion and other heat-related medical problems among visitors on the beach.

“We train a lot because it’s so common,” Nicole said. “Sometimes we wake people to make sure that they’re just napping.”

Dan Hanshaw of Lancaster, Ohio, frolicked in the surf with two of his three children, daughter Maddie, 4, and son Henry, 11, talking with his parents, Don and Ilene Hanshaw of Falls Church, Va., who stood nearby. Other relatives from Texas were on the beach, and his wife was with their 7-year-old, Charlie, who was exhausted from the previous day’s fun.

The Hanshaw family had once been regular beach visitors but had not been to the beach in 30 years. It was the first time for the youngest family members.

“We’ve been planning this for months,” Dan said, noting he was not concerned about the heat. “We were coming anyway.”

A short time later, Mack Fleming of Northumberland, Pa., was enjoying ice cream with his granddaughters, Aubrey Granquist, 4, and Harper Granquist, 9, of Homestead, Pa., outside Archie’s on Rehoboth Avenue.

It was the latest treat for the girls, who had visited the beach for the first time.

“It’s amazing,” Harper said. “I love it when the waves crash in.”

“I fell in the ocean,” Aubrey added, with a giggle.

Jack Briskman, 22, lives in a family home off Rehoboth Avenue while he works a summer job renting umbrellas, chairs and bodyboards for Catts Beach Service.

“I’ve been coming here in the summers for most of my life,” said Briskman, whose home is in Bethesda, Md. “I’m pretty used to it. I prefer the heat. After a week working here, you get used to it.”

The trick is taking precautions, said Briskman, who recently graduated from the University of Miami and plans to attend a global assets program at Georgetown University in the fall.

“When I can, I sit in the shade or in the shack,” he said. “A hat and sunglasses are necessary, for sure.”

Briskman keeps two big jugs of water in the shack that contains the rental items. He also takes a dip in the ocean during his break.

Mike Hendricks does not mind the heat, as he lives in Los Angeles and grew up in Middletown, where his parents still live. As he waited to rent a chair and umbrella from Briskman, he said he was visiting Rehoboth Beach with his family, including two daughters, ages 4 and 5.

“I love the heat,” said Hendricks. “It doesn’t bother me. I just stay hydrated.”

Far from the beach, others were working in the heat.

Jerry O’Donnell of Lancaster, Pa., and his son and nephew were riding tractors baling straw in a field off Hudson Road about 3 p.m., June 25, as the mercury climbed to 101.

“It’s hot out,” O’Donnell said after he stopped his tractor.

While the tractor cabs are air-conditioned, the workers have to climb out to deal with frequent breakdowns, he said.

“When it breaks down, it’s not fun,” O’Donnell said.

The group had begun work at 7 a.m. and planned to finish at midnight, he said. The baling season began Saturday, and it will probably take another week-and-a-half to complete the 1,600 acres of straw that Broken O Farms was hired to bring in from farms in Sussex County.

Selling crabs from a shack made mostly of wooden planks and corrugated steel off Route 1 at Five Points was also difficult work, said Evan Ritter of Milton, who was working for his friend, The Crab Connect owner Bryan Stewart of Lewes.

“It’s like 500 degrees,” Ritter said of the shack. “There’s not much we can do to keep cool. We go in the walk-in cooler as much as we can. We hang out with the crabs.”

The nearby walk-in cooler is kept at 48 degrees, and crabs in the shack are in ice-filled coolers, he said.

Stewart said he gets about four hours of sleep through the busy season that ends in September. The days are long, including the 14-hour round trips to the Outer Banks to pick up fresh crabs daily.

“Fourth of July will be nuts,” he said.

In addition to the common safety tips for extreme hot weather, Briskman offered one more.

“Also, enjoy it because it’s summertime,” he said. “You only get three months of this.”