These past few weeks, Philadelphia experienced an extreme heat wave, with temperatures above 90 degrees for more than two days. The City issues multiple excessive heat warnings as part of the Heat Health Emergency notice on June 23rd, and has issued more warnings since then.
A City-wide Heat Health Emergency means that the city will open 153 cooling centers and extend hours at Free Library locations, pools, spray grounds, older adult centers and more. Residents can call 3-1-1 to find a cooling center near them; in 19140, the cooling site is at Stenton Park (4600 N 16th St.), according to the City’s website.
The Philadelphia Water Department pauses utility shutoffs, to help more people stay cool on the hottest days. PECO also halts new shutoffs, but it will not restore service to customers whose electricity was already shut off when the emergency is declared.
Excessive heat can be very dangerous to health. Heat exhaustion happens when your body loses a lot of water and salt (dehydration), usually from sweating.
Heat stroke is more serious. Heat stroke is a medical emergency and can happen when the body’s temperature rises to 104 degrees and can damage the heart, kidneys, lover, lungs and brain. Symptoms include headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion, muscle weakness or cramps and losing consciousness. On hot days, some people are at greater risk for health-related illness, including people and children with asthma, pregnant women, infants and young children and people 65 years and older.
Heat is not experienced the same by everyone in the city, although the response from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is city-wide. Neighborhoods like Hunting Park in North Philadelphia are hotter on average than other neighborhoods in the city, because of low tree coverage, lack of green space, more cement cover, and unjust zoning and housing regulation stretching back decades that create heat islands.
In Hunting Park, Jennifer Santiago, a local block captain told us that “There are no options for trees to block the sun. Some areas on the street don’t have space for trees.” Gail Pryor, another block captain, told us that she is getting ready to roll-out trainings about heat safety because, “The heat is smothering. This is the hottest summer I’ve ever experienced while living in Philadelphia for the past 30 years.”
Efforts are underway in Hunting Park to combat extreme heat in our community and help prevent hot days in the future.
On June 20th, Esperanza’s Housing and Economic Development Division installed gator bags on 21 trees that were planted by the City of Philadelphia on Wyoming Avenue, including new trees planted next to the SEPTA facility on the corner of 3rd and Wyoming Avenue as part of the Trees on the Commercial Corridor program. These gator bags will help water and keep the trees alive in the extreme heat.
This summer is expected to be scorching, with more extreme heat on the way as climate change makes heat waves longer and hotter.
Philadelphia residents can call the city’s HeatLine at 215-765-9040 for health and safety tips or to talk with a medical professional if you suspect heat-related illness.
