Workers Cope With Heat Wave That Blankets Northeast, Southwest

A construction worker takes a swig of water during a break amid a heat wave in Boston on June 19, 2024. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

A late-spring heat wave continued to blanket much of the United States on June 19, leading the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue severe weather warnings for nearly all of the Northeast and large parts of the Midwest and Southwest.

The weather service predicted that hot and humid conditions in New York City would produce a heat index of between 95 degrees and 100 degrees on June 19 and June 20.

In south-central Arizona, temperatures will range from 106 to 113 degrees through June 20, according to the NWS. In southern New Hampshire and Maine, where seasonal high temperatures average in the 70s, temperatures of 95 degrees to 100 degrees were forecast, with heat index values up to 105 degrees.

For many people, the heat is not just uncomfortable. It can be dangerous or even deadly.

On June 17, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said New Yorkers faced “real safety issues” and needed to plan ahead to deal with the high temperatures and humidity.

“A heat wave can be more than just uncomfortable; it can be deadly and life-threatening if you are not prepared,” he said.

Last year, 350 people died in New York City during elevated summer temperatures.

Nationally, the heat was a factor in more than 2,300 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Particularly at risk are the elderly and people with health conditions such as asthma and heart disease, according to officials.

Beating the Heat

The American Red Cross has guidelines for dealing with severe heat. These include postponing or limiting outdoor activities when the temperature becomes extreme. Those who must work outdoors should take frequent breaks and stay hydrated, but they should avoid sugary, caffeinated, and alcoholic beverages.

When the heat becomes intolerable, people who don’t live in an air-conditioned home should consider going to a public library, shopping mall, or public cooling center.

Family fun as children cool off at the Heckscher Playground in Central Park, New York City, on June 19, 2024. Richard Moore/The Epoch Times

According to the mayor, New York City has opened cooling centers for people and some pets to seek respite from the heat. Splash pads, where fountains spray water, are also available. The city’s beaches are open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., but its public pools are not yet open.

In Indianapolis, where the temperature reached a high of 94 degrees on June 19 and has been above average for most of the month, the Metropolitan Police Department offered residents advice for beating the heat.

“Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Wear sunscreen, light clothing, and a hat when outside. If possible, stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day.”

Wheeler Mission, a nondenominational social service organization that has operated in Indianapolis for 125 years, has a cooling center for people experiencing homelessness.

“[People] can come in for a meal for free, and so they can get breakfast, lunch, dinner,” Brian Crispin, director of community relations for Wheeler Mission, told The Epoch Times.

“Usually, when they get in and get air conditioning, and water, and a meal ... then they’re in a good spot.”

Although there is still a great demand for services, donations to social agencies usually decrease in warmer weather, according to Mr. Crispin.

Working Outdoors

Kameron Holland, 23, of Nacogdoches, Texas, has worked for two years as a ground hand for Cuttin' Jack Tree Service. He works outdoors in a field where shade is eliminated by the hottest part of the day.

He underscored the importance of being aware of the dangers of the Texas heat.

“It’s starting to get rough,” he told The Epoch Times.

“It’s very hot. ... [But] you just learn to get used to it. It’s really about staying hydrated.”

Mr. Holland said he has found it important to eat breakfast before he starts work and to pace himself when he starts the workday.

Lane McIntire, 25, of Muncie, Ind., stands outside a car service center in Indianapolis on June 19, 2024. Lawrence Wilson/The Epoch Times

Lane McIntire, 25, of Muncie, Indiana, manages an oil change center where customers wait in an air-conditioned lobby while workers labor in an open-air garage.

“You get worn down pretty quick,” he said.

Mr. McIntire has instituted protocols to keep employees safe in the extreme temperatures.

“I make sure everybody takes an air-conditioning break every four hours,” he said. The company provides electrolyte popsicles during hot weather, and employees working in the oil-change pit are limited to two-hour cycles.

Chouaib Prince of Astoria, a neighborhood in Queens, New York, has been operating his pedicab business, Go Hybrid NYC, for 20 years and knows how to deal with scorching heat.

Mr. Prince said he stays hydrated, wears a hat and light clothing, and seeks shade from trees where he can.

“I drink at least a gallon-and-a-half of water and plenty of iced drinks,” he told The Epoch Times.

“It’s not how hot it is; it is how you protect yourself.”

Monitor Conditions

The NWS issues four types of heat-related guidance.

An Excessive Heat Outlook means that a heat-related weather event could occur within three to seven days. This allows time to prepare to cope with extreme heat.

An Excessive Heat Watch is posted when there is an elevated risk of a heat wave, usually within two or three days, but the timing is not certain.

Kameron Holland, a ground hand for Cuttin' Jack Tree Service, leans on his boss's truck outside a taco stand in Nacogdoches, Texas, on June 19, 2024. Savannah Hulsey Pointer/The Epoch Times

A Heat Advisory is issued when dangerously high heat conditions are expected to occur within 12 hours. Generally, an advisory is given when the maximum heat index is expected to be 100 degrees or higher for at least two days, with night temperatures remaining at 75 degrees or above.

An Excessive Heat Warning applies when the maximum heat index is expected to be 105 degrees or higher for at least two days and evening temperatures will remain at 75 degrees or higher.

On June 19, nearly all of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, northern New Jersey, and the New England states were under an Excessive Heat Advisory or Warning. Parts of Michigan and Indiana, the coastal areas of Texas, California’s Central Valley, and much of south-central Arizona were also included.

The excessive heat didn’t bother Mr. Holland, however. He said he’d heard about it, but from the description, it sounded a lot like a normal Texas summer.