KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It has been a brutally hot summer across the metro area – but unlike years past, the extreme heat hasn’t resulted in as many deaths, and public health officials say that the reason goes back to that old saying, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”
So far in 2012, there have only been two confirmed and eight possible heat-related deaths across the metro area. That compares to 21 heat-related deaths in 2000 and a whopping 157 heat related deaths in 1980.
Officials with the Kansas City Missouri Health Department say that this summer has been less humid than previous scorching summers, and people seem to have learned the lessons of the past when it comes to staying cool.
“There’s a lot of things we have learned and still learning every single heat event,” said Bill Snook of the KCMO Heath Department, who says that many of the past heat deaths stem from a lack of air conditioning. “We want people to remember that closing everything down and just using the fan isn’t the best solution.”
Programs like the Bishop Sullivan Center’s Project Elder Cool, which was begun in 2001 after the deadly summer the year before, is working to get air conditioners into the homes of people who need it the most – the elderly and disabled.
Crews with the program say that they are installing 15 air conditioning units a day in the homes of people who need it.
“So far we put in 210 units so far this summer,” said Kim Clogh with Project Elder Cool. “They are so excited, we get so many thank you notes saying they’re comfortable, eating better. I got one today that said she’s able to live in her house now, so that’s good good thing.”
The city says that it works closely with charities and other agencies to identify needs like cooling centers, but they say that it’s still important that everybody do their part to help out by checking on their neighbors and family members to make sure they’re okay.
