EDITOR’S NOTE: Multimedia journalist Chace Beech spoke with Margarita Martinez, a South Los Angeles resident, about the impacts of the heat. Click the arrow above to watch the video.
In the wake of a heatwave earlier in the week, the city of Los Angeles is rolling out a new public awareness campaign to educate Angelenos about the health implications. Called #HeatRelief4LA, the city’s chief heat officer and the LA Emergency Management Department launched the program Friday to inform Angelenos about the risks of extreme heat and provide information on resources and safety advice.
Extreme heat waves cause five times more deaths than any other climate hazard in the city, according to the LA Climate Emergency Mobilization Office. Already a deadly public health threat, it’s expected to get worse because of climate change, which increases the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events characterized by weather that is much hotter than average.
A collaboration with the city’s Emergency Management, Public Works and Recreation and Parks Departments, along with LA County, the social media campaign relies on community members, nonprofits, businesses, schools and other groups to educate residents. Those who join the social media campaign are provided a variety of prepared graphics to inform people of the dangers of extreme heat, as well as how to respond.
Available in Spanish as well as English, much of the messaging comes from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which suggests drinking water regularly, avoiding alcohol, eating small meals, wearing light and loose-fitting clothes, wearing a hat and taking cool showers or baths during heat waves.
Because extreme heat can trigger health conditions, the CDC also encourages people to learn the symptoms of heat exhaustion and its more dangerous counterpart, heat stroke, and what actions to take in response. While heat exhaustion manifests in elevated body temperature, dizziness, headache, heavy sweating, decreased urination, nausea, thirst, irritability and fatigue, heat stroke happens when a body gets so hot it is unable to control temperature by sweating. Symptoms include a high temperature of 103 degrees or more, confusion, slurred speech, seizures, fainting and skin that is hot, red and dry.
Mortality increases 8% on the hottest days during an average Los Angeles summer, according to health officials. Consecutive days of intense heat cause as many as 30% more deaths. Seniors, children and individuals with chronic medical conditions are most at risk, as are individuals in low-income communities, Blacks, Latinos and outdoor workers.
A #HeatRelief4LA campaign graphic from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says that nearly three out of four fatalities from heat illness happen during the first week of work and advises building a tolerance to heat by increasing intensity 20% daily. It suggests drinking cool water even if you aren’t thirsty, resting for long enough to recover from the heat, taking breaks in shady or cool areas, wearing a hat, watching out for each other and verbally checking on workers wearing face coverings.
The campaign, ranging from practical tips to macro climate issues, also includes data from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which reports that 20 of the warmest years on the planet have occurred since 2000, and the Atlantic Council, which says that for every one-degree Celsius increase in global temperature, 1 billion people will endure deadly heat waves or be displaced from their homes.
It isn’t only people who are affected by extreme heat. Through #HeatRelief4LA, LA Animal Services is distributing materials on how to keep animals safe during hot weather. They advise avoiding hot surfaces, giving pets extra water and not leaving pets in a hot car or outdoors for long periods of time.
City officials are rolling out the messages the first week of July but expect them to be necessary throughout the summer until November.
