Forecasters in the Kansas City region are predicting temperatures in the 90s and potential triple digits in the coming days.
It is important to plan now to keep you and your family safe in these extreme conditions. In extreme heat, your body works extra hard to maintain a normal temperature, which can lead to serious illness or death. Extreme heat is responsible for the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards. (Ready.Gov)
Older adults, children and sick or overweight individuals are at greater risk from extreme heat.
Humidity increases the feeling of heat.
United Way of Greater Kansas City can connect you with resources to help.
Our dedicated, caring 211 Community Resource Navigators are equipped with a listing of local cooling centers near you. You can find them here. At this same page through 211KC.org, you can locate resources for fans and air conditioners.
Summer can also bring high utility bills that strain household budgets. By calling 211, you can also inquire about available assistance programs. Your call is free, confidential, and can be made 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The US Department of Homeland Security’s Ready.Gov site also provides the following tips to stay safe during periods of extreme heat:
- Learn to recognize the signs of heat illness.
- Don’t rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans create air flow and false sense of comfort, but don’t greatly reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illnesses.
- Identify places in your community where you can go to get cool, like libraries, shopping malls, or local cooling centers.
- Cover windows with drapes or shades.
- Weather-strip doors and windows.
- Use window reflectors designed to reflect heat back outside.
- Add insulation to keep the heat out.
- Use a powered attic ventilator, or attic fan, to regulate the heat level of a building’s attic by clearing out hot air.
- Install window air conditioners and insulate around them.
- If you’re unable to affordable home cooling costs, weatherization, or energy related home repairs, contact the Lower Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for help.