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New Jersey Residents, Campers Stay Cool As Temperatures Soar

SUMMIT, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The New Jersey suburbs baked in the sun Wednesday. But in spite of the heat of the humidity, it was business as usual for most people, even those who work outdoors.

"It's hot. You've just got to say hydrated, drink as much water as you can,"Peter Paradise, who was cutting down a tree, told CBS2's Elise Finch. "And if you get really tired and feel heat exhaustion, you take a break."

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Other outdoor employees said timing is everything.

"I was at work at about 25 after 4 (a.m.), and I finished about 25 after 12 (noon)," said Bobby Demeo, of West Orange. "Lot of water, get out early, beat the traffic, beat the heat -- it's the way to do it."

People CBS2 spoke to said they were using every trick they know to stay cool.

"A lot of water," said Steve Clark, of Summit. "Like preload the water, so when you've got to work outside, it's kind of there with you."

"I try to stay indoors a little bit more during the afternoon," said Elizabeth Mellusi, of Berkeley Heights.

"We made sure our kids were safe at camp," said Rachel Zucker, of Summit. "They kept them inside, and they kept them cool."

Camp Riverbend in Warren altered its activity and used a combination of water, shade and air conditioning to keep campers safe.

"All the groups are told to take water breaks. We're always reapplying sunscreen," said Roger Breene of Camp Riverbend. "That's something that we do regularly."

"We won't be playing tennis. We won't be playing soccer. We won't be playing baseball," said camp co-owner Paul Breene. "We'll take those activities, and those people will either get extra swims, they'll get a little bit of time in the spray park or they might be doing skills activities in one of our large indoor, air-conditioned facilities."

Campers said they like it.

"The spray park, that's my favorite," one girl said.

"I definitely like to swim," another girl said. "But there's also water games you get to play. You can throw water balloons at each other."

"I like also just sitting in the air conditioning and just hanging out with my friends on hot days like this," another camper said.

NJ Campers Find Ways To Beat The Heat

Parents and camp counselors say typically the rule is that smaller campers should be kept indoors as much as possible on extremely hot days. With older campers, they can mix up the activities.

At the YMCA in Wyckoff, camp officials were using water soakers, water balloon launchers and games with sponges to keep 1,000 kids cool, WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported.

"They've been cooling off down in Spring Lake and splashing around," said Spirit Director Sue Kanning.

Spring Lake is an old water hole the YMCA turned into a virtual beach.

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