Heat Waves Prove More Deadly for Poor, Minorities Lynne Peeples - The Huffington Post
go to original June 30, 2013

A historical heat wave is in full swing across the western US with temperatures having already broken records over the past few days. (accuweather - 07/01/13)

Heat waves offer no dramatic images of flying debris or surging seawater. Yet each year torrid temperatures take more lives in the than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and lightning combined.

The silent killer also discriminates, as low-income communities of color often start with poorer underlying health than other communities, and have fewer tools and resources to combat a heat that can be further intensified by their immediate environment.

"It's a deadly mix," said George Luber, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Climate and Health Program. "Those most vulnerable are those that incur the most exposure. And these exposures are going to increase in magnitude, and in frequency, with climate change."

The annual death toll from extreme heat is already on the rise, according to a report released by the CDC on Thursday, with the number of heat-related deaths predicted to jump from the current annual rate of around 700 to between 3,000 and 5,000 by 2050.

Read the rest at The Huffington Post

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