VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – We found the lone walker coming down Laskin Road along the VDOT project. His name is Blaise Lawyer, and he’s got a story to tell.
It was blazing hot outside – was that by coincidence that he came our way, or just because his name is Blaise, 10 On Your Side asked of our traveler friend.
“It’s got to be, because this weather is so blazing hot – and I’m Blaise,” Lawyer said.
In sweltering humidity, he has no car. He is a walker, coming from his job at Panera Bread.
“Whether it’s friends or family giving a lift, or Uber, I live at the Oceanfront,” Lawyer said. “You can get your food delivered, groceries delivered, you can get everything. I’ll take my bike go anywhere I want.”
He also noticed something about the Laskin Road Project.
“I’ve noticed when it’s real hot, a lot of the workers aren’t here,” Lawyer said. “I don’t know if it is their protocol that they aren’t out here when it’s hot.”
We then go to the well-known Resort BP Laskin Road, where everything’s a breeze for Joe Sherman and Dana Drew as they stand before a breezy fan, which, to be honest, could be breezier.
“You have to stay hydrated,” Sherman said. “It’s all we can do. If we don’t drink water, we’re done.”
“We are now at 95, maybe 110 (degrees) with humidity in here, and you can actually tell it’s sweaty, even with the fan we have blowing. “
They say it’s hotter in the garage than it is outside.
“Sometimes you got to get under with the lift,” Dana Drew said. “I mean when it’s hot out, it is worse under the car.”
They both admit working in the cold is better than the heat.
“If we had been doing the same thing in December, it would have been done already, it would have been done already, “ Sherman said, laughing.
And consider this, they say the hotter the day, the dirtier their hands.
“It’s true. We don’t get this dirty unless we don’t want to put gloves on,” Sherman said, “because it is so hot and you sweat so much.”
Down Laskin Road to the 7-Eleven at Birdneck Road, there’s a gathering place for lawn and landscaping businesses.
“I’ve been doing this 10, 12 years now,” said Richard Hunnings with Ashton Landscaping. “Best thing I can recommend is people like their AC, but I personally don’t think AC is that good.”
What? AC is not that good?
“Yes, Hunnings acclimated, through his job, to severe humidity.
“I love my body to be at the same temperature as it is outside getting in and out of the car,” Hunnings said. “Cold and hot environment will throw your body into shock, and that is something you do not want.”
For Hunnings the humidity is a cleanser of sorts.
“It seems this summer is a kicker,” Hunnings said. “It seems like its hotter than the past two summers.”
Eric Albers is with East Coast Lawn and Landscaping, and he has noticed hotter, humid days in Hampton Roads summers.
“There’s a lot of times we are sweating before we get to the first job site,” Albers said, “and it is humid in the morning, and that will let you know what the middle of the week is going to be like.”
Hunnings offered tips for the homeowner not conditioned to extreme humidity.
“If you are doing this, and you are not a professional, take your time, take breaks if you feel yourself getting lightheaded, dizzy, sit down drink some water,” Hunnings said. “If you are feeling the head, give yourself a break. Don’t push it. You don’t want to end up in a bad spot.”
