Health
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In past blog posts we have looked at extreme heat and how it is endangering farm workers and others who work outside. Earlier this week, Yahoo News posted a story about the toll that heat waves and very high temperatures are taking on delivery truck drivers, who have to go in and out of hot…
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Do you or someone you love have severe fears about tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other natural disasters? If so, you are not alone. Many people feel anxious during severe weather or even during seasons when severe weather is more likely. You can help reduce this anxiety by preparing for the severe weather in advance and…
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Researchers at the University of Georgia have helped identify causes of heat-related deaths in high school athletics and have led to new ways to practice that are much safer for outdoor activities in hot, humid climates. This NPR article and audio story describes the changes to practices that have improved athletes’ health and led to…
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One of the secrets of the trend towards warmer temperatures over time is that a lot of the warming is not occurring during the day but at night. In Georgia, overnight low temperatures are rising at a rate that is double the increase in daytime high temperatures. This has special consequences for human and animal…
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Today a new website dedicated to providing resources for dealing with extreme heat was introduced. It is Heat.gov and is a product of the National Integrated Heat Health Information System. I have not heard of this initiative before, but it seems to be similar to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) that I work…
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Here is something that never occurred to me before but should have. Irrigation is made up of long metal poles and equipment that is out in the field and can be frequently hit by lightning because it is often the tallest thing in the field. I did not realize that it can hold a charge…
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After a cooler weekend, we are expecting to experience much higher temperatures later in the week. Humidity levels will be somewhat lower than last week, so nights should be a little cooler than we saw earlier, but still at the record-setting temperatures we are expecting (record for this time of year, not all-time), heat stress…