New York City’s Climate Emergency Room Summer
At some point it was bound to happen. Heat in big cities would send people to emergency rooms. It is part of seasonal living in places like Houston, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. This summer between the smoke from Canadian wildfires and 100 degree F days, emergency room visits related to climate have hit above 1,000.
Emergency room visits may not be the best climate related measure of how much the environment hurts some people in the city. Many people swelter and homeless do what they can to protect themselves. Some get sick and a few die before they ever see a doctor.
Emergency rooms have become the admissions departments for most hospitals. During times of extreme emergencies, people are held there for as long as a day or two. Unless they are among the sickest, they may not be treated for hours.
Black Out History
New York’s long hot summer is not over. The heat index was above 100 two days last week. Summer does not end for six weeks.
What is known as the worst case scenario is a brown or black out which has happened in the city before. At least twice, the entire city was without electricity. That would be a real emergency if the heat is above 90.
More from ClimateCrisis 247
- Miami Warns Of Dangerous Heat Related Illness
- Will People Move To Cleveland To Flee Dangerous Weather?
- Tampa Real Estate Market Suffers As Miami Softens
- Houston Uses More Air Conditioning Than Any City In The World
