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A heat wave arrived across much of California just as residents geared up to celebrate July 4 Independence Day. Fresno, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Modesto, and other inland cities were facing triple-digit temperatures. Heat related health emergencies could end in death, warned city officials. 

EMS and CBN, in partnership with Listers, California held a briefing to warn citizens of the impending heat wave and the possible disastrous consequences of it. 

During the high daytime temperatures, and nighttime temperatures that show no signs of receding below 70. People may get overheated, get disoriented and even die, warned the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (EMS).

“The longevity of this particular event is what we're most concerned and the fact that we won't see those cool overnight temperatures to give us that relief,” said David Lawrence, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at a news briefing 

The hot weather puts stress on the electric grid and when that happens blackouts occur. In the city of Cupertino the electricity company PG&E had to grapple with overload on the system resulting in breakdown of services. In the sweltering conditions the PG&E staff was seen working for hours in the heat to restore power. 

At risk population are the ones working outdoors, the homeless and the elderly 

“Certain groups are certainly at higher risk of a heat related health impact and those include those who are unhoused, those working outdoors, or those who are working indoors without air conditioning,” said Dr. Rita Nguyen, Assistant Health Officer for the State of California and the Director of Population Health at the California Department of Public Health at the briefing. 

Additionally, heat exacerbates other health conditions.“People are not staying hydrated enough and their bodies are under a lot of stress.” With heat waves there's an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and complications from diabetes. “Folks with certain medical conditions related to blood pressure have to pay attention to their fluid intake or their salt intake,” said the doctor. 

As PG&E staff worked hard to restore power, WhatsApp messages flew back and forth in the Riverside St Andrews neighborhood. Neighbors checked on each other. Senior citizens most at risk were offered cool areas created by the city where seniors could spend the hot hours of the day. 

Older adults, pregnant people. And infants and children, people with disabilities, those with chronic health conditions and lower income populations are most at risk, warned the officials. 

Dangers of heat can take folks by surprise  
 

“Shiva, our cousin was living alone and with the spike in temperature, unfortunately he was found dead in his apartment,” said Usha Soni. He was 65 years of age. His neighbor had suggested to Shiva that he come over to their air conditioned home. “Probably Shiva got disoriented. We will never know.”

“When folks are starting to heat up too much, it impairs their decision making and their thinking. They may not be in a great position to even make good decisions on how to get cool or stop your activity,” Dr Nguyen said. 

“A key takeaway is actually that anyone can be a victim of life-threatening heatstroke,” said Dr Nguyen. 

Some of the warning signs of heat related illness include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, illness, tiredness, irritability and dizziness. 

“It’s really important that we pay attention to each other and make sure we're aware of all the dangers,” said John Geis of the Riverside neighborhood.

Where are your life jackets?

Rethink your activities, said the doctor. The healthy young get in trouble when they think its okay to play basketball or go camping or on a hike. Young people are also jumping in fast flowing waters to cool off.

Reminding people how dangerous the water is this year was Andrew Ramos, Captain of the City of Sacramento Fire Department operates the Cal OES Swift Water Rescue Team 7 stationed in Sacramento. “We conduct about 30 water related rescues a year. Unfortunately, a majority of those ended with deaths in drowning. Rocks can be slippery and also hidden. 

It's so fast and so cold. And it's higher because of the higher snowfall.”

Life vest can save your life. “I was just speaking with another fire captain today and he said,in his 30 plus years, he's never saved a person wearing a life vest.”

There’s a bit of alert fatigue

“It gets dangerous when people stop paying attention and start dismissing the alerts,” said Dr Nguyen. 

“But please do pay attention to the alerts.”