A dangerous heat wave is tightening its grip on the East Coast, with the worst conditions arriving as millions prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July outdoors. The heat is expected to peak during one of the busiest travel and outdoor celebration periods of the year, prompting cities to expand cooling centers, shorten parade routes and activate emergency response plans ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
Affected Areas
More than 160 million people are under a Level 3 of 4 “major” or Level 4 of 4 “extreme” heat risk through the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service. Cities such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Raleigh, North Carolina, are opening cooling centers and expanding public resources as the dangerous heat settles in.
The federal government is also preparing for the strain. The Department of Energy has issued emergency orders aimed at reducing the risk of power outages by increasing electricity generation within the PJM Interconnection grid, which serves much of the Mid-Atlantic.
Preparations and Concerns
Philadelphia has declared a Heat Health Emergency through Saturday evening and shortened the route for its July 4 parade. A ceremony featuring a live virtual address from the pope has been moved indoors, and officials have reduced hours for the city’s World Cup Fan Festival ahead of Saturday’s match between Paraguay and France.
Washington, DC, has activated an Extreme Heat Alert through July 5 and is expanding cooling centers, hydration stations and emergency medical resources as hundreds of thousands of visitors descend on the nation’s capital for holiday events. Organizers of National Mall celebrations are adding water stations, cooling tents and air-conditioned buses for attendees.
New York City is opening hundreds of cooling centers and deploying mobile medical vans with water, sunscreen and wellness checks. More than 2,200 LinkNYC kiosks will display directions to the nearest cooling center.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
