By: Irvin Ji

A heatwave continues to break records on the East Coast during the week of June 16th – June 22nd. Rising temperatures are caused by climate change and will keep increasing if we do not take action.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning to most cities on the East Coast. However, the East Coast is not the only region affected. According to David W. Chen from The New York Times, Yuma, Green Lake, Chicago, Grosse Pointe Farms, Toledo, Cleveland, Racine, etc. will also experience extreme temperatures.

In New Jersey, the heatwave was unusual early in the season, and now some towns are asking their residents to reduce water use. According to Joe Desilva, a meteorologist from the Weather Service, temperatures on Sunday were about 10 degrees above average.

In Florida, many homeless people are suffering from the heat. The Waterfront Rescue, a non-profit for the poor and homeless, has opened a cooling center. However, it is only open on days hotter than 105 degrees Fahrenheit (~ 40.5 Celsius). Bobby Green, who has been homeless for 3 years, said, “There’s no help for the homeless, except for this shade tree”

In Philadelphia, the elderly are also suffering from the heat. Many are disabled, and the heat worsens the disabilities. Nolan Lawrence, from the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, has stated that they have received more heat- related calls than usual. Philadelphia has declared a Heat health emergency on Thursday and has opened over 150 cooling centers.

The C.D.C has reported many more calls and heat-related emergency room visits than usual. The number of visits skyrocketed from about 290 on the first day of the heatwave to 1,150 on the second. The C.D.C has reported 1,600 heat related deaths in 2021, 1,700 in 2022, and 2,300 in 2023. More and more people are dying, and we need to find more ways to cool off.

We will post more updates on the event soon, stay safe and hydrated out there!