If temperatures of 95ºF or above are sustained in a 48-hour period, Philadelphia will issue a Code Red and deploy outreach workers to convince homeless to go to shelters where air conditioning makes the summer extreme heat more bearable.
This season, which has been marked as a severe summer, with humidity likely to range from 45% to 50%, is a terrible scenario for vulnerable people who could suffer health problems due to extreme heat.
The Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services and the Office of Homeless Services set up a homeless outreach team because of the “Red Code” issue.
The thermometers indicate that the heat will raise its suffocating inclemency, a condition that endangers the homeless who gather in public parks and around fountains where they can get some heat relief.
City workers are offering hydration supplies, ambulatory medical checkups and the suggestion to go to a shelter, where the air conditioning would provide a respite from the sweltering air.
Meteorological reports have predicted that thermometers will exceed 113ºF, so an excessive heat warning has been issued for the region, and the city extended a heat health emergency.
At last count, there were more than 1,000 people experiencing homelessness on the streets of Philadelphia. And for them, excessive heat can be as dangerous as the cold.
Translated by. José Espinoza
Noticias Newswire
