Whitewater city officials have noted their awareness of conditions affecting the public brought about by extreme heat.
According to a recent city-produced informational release, Whitewater Emergency Management Coordinator Todd Lindert encourages the public to become aware that summer heatwaves have been the “biggest weather-related killers in Wisconsin for the past 50 years, far exceeding tornadoes and other storm-related deaths.”
In 1995, the release noted, “two major killer heatwaves affected most of Wisconsin, resulting in 154 heat-related deaths and more than 300 heat-related illnesses.”
Additionally, the release stated, in 2022, “14 heat-related deaths occurred in Wisconsin, according to preliminary data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.” More than 700 Wisconsinites also visited emergency rooms for heat-related illnesses last year, the release stated.
The release cited “Wisconsin’s changing climate” as a source for “new and more unpredictable weather trends,” including health risks from heat. Across the state and more specifically in cities, overnight temperatures are getting hotter, leaving people who are without access to air conditioning units or cool basements less able to find relief, and also less able to rely on cooler nights to recover from hot days, the release noted.
For more information about extreme heat as it relates to climate and health, visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/climate/heat.htm.
According to the city-produced release, a glossary of terms to aid the public in better understanding discussions about heat-related incidents is as follows:
• Heatwave: Prolonged period of excessive heat, often combined with excessive humidity.
• Heat Index: A number in degrees Fahrenheit that indicates how hot it feels when relative humidity is added to the air temperature. Exposure to full sunshine can increase the heat index by 15 degrees.
• Heat cramps: Muscular pains and spasms due to heavy exertion. Heat cramps can be a first sign that the body is having trouble with the heat.
• Heat exhaustion: A condition that occurs when body fluids are lost through perspiration. The condition typically occurs when individuals are exercising or working in hot, humid places. According to the release, during heat exhaustion, blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood flow to decrease to the vital organs. The result can be a form of mild shock. If not treated, the condition may lead to heatstroke.
• Heatstroke: Defined within the release as having the potential to become a “life-threatening condition,” the victim’s temperature control system, which produces perspiration to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise high enough that brain damage and death may result if the body is not cooled quickly.
• Sunstroke: Another term for heatstroke.
Further, the release provided an additional glossary of terms to help residents understand alerts and advisories as produced by the “National Weather Service Heat Wave Program in Wisconsin.” They are:
• Excessive heat warning: According to the release, when the maximum heat index is anticipated to be between 100 and 104 degrees for a period of four consecutive days, a warning will be issued.
• Excessive heat watch: According to the release, a heat watch is issued when conditions are favorable to produce an excessive heat event over a period of one to three days.
• Heat advisory: The release notes that a heat advisory is issued when the maximum heat index reaches between 95 and 99 degrees for a period of four consecutive days.
• Outlooks: Outlooks, the release stated, are issued when the potential exists for an excessive heat event over a period of three to seven days.
Extreme heat dos and don’ts
The city’s release noted a list of extreme weather dos and don’ts. they include:
• Never leaving children, disabled people or pets in a parked car even for brief periods.
• Keeping living spaces cool by placing covers across windows to block the sun. The release further suggests the use of air conditioning units. For those without air conditioning units, a visit to public places with such units, like a mall or library, is recommended. The release further suggests placing a call to a community emergency management office for advice about heat relief shelters and their locations.
• While electric fans may provide some comfort, the release suggests they are limited in their ability to lower air temperatures. Additionally, the release suggests placing a window fan such that it is blowing air out of the building, which will serve to remove hot air from the building.
• Taking cool showers or baths.
• Avoiding the use of stoves and ovens.
• Slowing down and limiting physical activity, and planning activities such that they take place in the early morning or evenings, when temperatures are cooler.
• Drinking water and eating light meals. The release recommends avoiding alcohol and caffeine, and heavy meals.
• Wearing lightweight, loose-fitting and light-colored clothing. Hats and umbrellas also are recommended to help retard the sun.
• Using sunscreen.
• Taking mediations as prescribed by a doctor and asking a doctor about heat-related advice.
• Remembering to protect pets and livestock. Animals, too, need access to water and a place in the shade, the release advises.
Who is considered ‘more’ at risk for heat-related illness?
According to the release, the following individuals are considered to be “more” at risk for heat-related outcomes: older adults, infants and young children, people with chronic heart and lung issues, those with disabilities, individuals who are overweight, those working in outdoor settings, those working in settings that are close to heat sources, those using some medications, those with allergies, suffering from depression and issues of the circulatory system.
Additionally, the release notes, people living in isolation may not know when to cool off or make a call for help.
Additional sources of information about heat events and matters of health can be found by visiting the following websites: http://readywisconsin.wi.gov, https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/climate/weather/heatillness.htm, and https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat.
A fire truck sprays water on an appreciative crowd during last year’s Fourth of July parade in Whitewater. Officials have released information reminding residents to prepare this warm-weather season for the potential for heat-related events. File photo/Kim McDarison.
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