Prepare for heat: the best ways to protect yourself from heatstroke

Prepare now for the high heat hitting metro Atlanta

Grab water, sunscreen and prepare for the heat index to go above 100.

ATLANTA - With a heatwave heading towards North Georgia, experts want to make sure everyone stays safe. 

What they're saying:

"The most important thing we can do is hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Water keeps us away from heat injury," Dr. Cecil Bennett said.

Dr. Bennett said it's important to keep an eye out for signs of heat exhaustion in hot weather, especially for children and seniors.

Related: Early summer heat wave hitting north Georgia this week

"There may be profuse sweating. Skin may be crampy. The person may be a little bit confused, a little nauseated. But that individual, you want to get them into shape. You want to slowly hydrate them with sips of water and cool them down with cool cloth or wet their clothing," Dr. Bennett said.

"That is a lot different from heat stroke, which is a lot more serious and a medical emergency. We see an individual who's not sweating at all. Their skin is not clammy, but very hot. They may have lost consciousness here with this individual again. The first thing to do is to call 911. Get them to shade," he explained.

Where You Can Go:

For people who need a safe place to escape the heat, Frontline Response opened their cooling center on Gresham Road in DeKalb County Sunday. There they offer food, support services, and transportation from area libraries.

Related: Cooling centers opening in DeKalb County amid heat wave

"Since it's already hot, we want to go ahead and just observe those days to give out unhoused neighbors somewhere to go and to cool off," Tyana Mizell, director of Operations at Frontline Response said.

"It's just to let our unhoused neighbors know that they have somewhere to go that cares that has resources for them," she added.