Be cool. Stay away from Kristen Bell.

How hot is it?

The heatwave plaguing the Southwest is doing away with the need for a grill to sear hot dogs.

You need that sense of humor to endure the current sweltering temperatures as the summer begin heats up with a widespread heatwave gripping the West and Southwest.

Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley have also suffered high humidity and temperatures reaching over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) all week.

Climatologists expect more severe, longer lasting heatwaves to bake the nation in more locations due to higher temperatures world wide -- a result of global warming.

Heatwaves can be deadly.

More people in the U.S. die from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes -- combined -- according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Prepare for a heatwave and the possibility of a power blackout the same way you prepare for any disaster, but with an emphasis on keeping yourself cool.

• Get informed. Because heatwaves drain the power grid as households turn on more fans, swamp coolers and air conditioners, blackouts are possible. Keep tabs on your local utility's Web site for heatwave, power consumption, brownouts and blackout information.

If someone in your household is on life-support systems, you should notify your power company when the support system is installed. Most utilities will notify life support customers first if service will be interrupted for whatever reason. But because all outages are not planned, life support backup is crucial.

If a liquid or natural gas fired generator is your back up for life support or other electrical needs, follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter. Never operate generators indoors including in a basement, garage or other enclosed space. Never connect the generator to the home's electrical system without a code-complying transfer switch. Get advice in advance from a licensed electrician.

• Get out. For those times when it's 110 in the shade, your plans should include an escape to Cool Town.

Most communities offer "cooling centers," including community centers, armories, hospital waiting rooms and a host of other public and sometimes private facilities that share their cooler air when the weather outside is dreadful. Some cooling centers, like hospitals and clinics often have emergency back up power. Even if there's no power outage and you don't have air conditioning, plan to give your body a break at a cooling center for a few hours every day.

Your local office of emergency planning, energy department, Red Cross branch and utility company will point you in the right direction. Again, it's important to obtain this information in advance.

The best cooling center is within easy walking distance.

Other cool shelter may be found nearby at a friend's, relative's or neighbor's house, in a shopping mall, movie theater or a hotel or motel where it might be a good time to take a daycation.

• Stock food and water. In a blackout, keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to prevent food spoilage. Food in a fully loaded, closed freezer can stay frozen for up to two days. If it's half full, food will last about one day.

During a heatwave, keep a large bag or two of ice in your freezer (it can help fill empty space) and make sure your ice cube tray or receptacle is full. In a prolonged blackout, consume perishables first, but have on hand food in a survival kit you are supposed to keep for any kind of disaster.

The Red Cross says, for each individual survival kit, you should have enough food and water to last for three days, but in a scheduled, rolling blackout, you'll only need a fraction of that amount. Don't forget food and water for your pets.

For outages that drag on for more than two or four hours, pack refrigerated milk, dairy products, meats, fish, poultry eggs, leftovers and others refrigerated items in a cooler surrounded by ice. This is another reason to keep extra ice on hand. Retailers run out of ice during heatwaves.

Discard any perishable refrigerated foods that have been above 40 degrees F for more than two hours. That means, you should have a digital quick-response thermometer in your survival kit. It will come in handy to check food temperatures when you return home after a outage has already begun. Discard any food with an unusual odor, color or texture. When in doubt, throw it out.

Keep hydrated. Continue what should be the usual regimen for adults -- eight, four-ounce glasses of water a day, more if necessary, less for kids. Don't over hydrate.

• Distribute supplies to every family member. In addition to food and water survival kits for everyone, each member of the household should have a flashlight, extra batteries, medical prescriptions, hygiene supplies and other personal items. Pack in some luxuries and fun items -- candy, toys, handheld video games, travel-sized games, etc.

You should also have a first aid kit, corded telephone that doesn't require electricity, a cell phone (remember, batteries do run down and networks get overloaded during emergencies), satellite phone or other means of communication. A portable battery-operated AM-FM radio (know which station to tune in) or a small television will keep you informed about the blackout. You vehicle's gas tank should always be at least half full and you should know how to crank your garage door if it's normally powered by electricity.

• Electronics, electricity-powered appliances and the elderly need attention too. Always back up computer data regularly. Turn off or disconnect any appliances or electronic devices you were using when the power went out. Turn them off in advance if you receive notice of an impending rolling blackout. Leave one light turned on so you'll know when your power is restored. In hot weather, keep a close eye on older people, infants and kids who can't always verbalize how they feel, but who are most susceptible to heat.

As a long term solution to guarding against heatwave-induced blackouts, consider tacking solar panels onto your roof. When the power goes out, you'll not only have a pollution-free source of energy, you'll be the envy of your neighborhood -- and perhaps a cooling center for your neighbors.

Chill out with more cooling information from the Centers for Disease Control.

Also see: Air conditioning without an air conditioner