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Beat the heat

Beat the heat

Let’s be safe and beat the heat this summer.

Cape Town is known for its beautiful, warm summers, but it is also no stranger to extreme temperatures and heat waves.

Understanding how heat impacts you and your family is an important part of building household and individual resilience during extreme heat events. Follow our tips to ensure that you are ready, able to respond, and informed about how to stay safe and healthy in extreme heat.

What is a heat wave and high heat day in Cape Town?

Extreme heat and heat waves are described by the World Health Organisation as silent emergencies that are among the most dangerous of natural hazards, due to their impact on health and potential to lead to the disruption of critical services and damage to infrastructure.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) defines a heat wave as three or more consecutive days where the maximum temperature meets or exceeds 5°C above the average maximum temperature of the hottest month for a particular place. In Cape Town, this threshold is 32°C or higher. A high heat day is when the maximum temperature meets or exceeds 35°C. Heat waves are weather events that cause prolonged and/or intense periods of high temperatures with added intensity if there is little to no wind.

Results from a World Bank Heat Mapping Project conducted over a 200 km² area of Cape Town

The City has developed a High Heat Day and Heat Wave Action Plan (Heat Action Plan) to guide our response to extreme heat and ensure public health and safety. The plan is categorised into three main components:

  • Heat Readiness
  • Heat Response
  • Knowledge Management and Research

Amy Davison, the City’s Head of Climate Change, spoke at the Resilient Cities Network’s Urban Heat: Cities Taking Action series in 2022, sharing more about what we are doing to address heat in our city.

Stay informed and be prepared

SAWS publishes heat advisories to inform the public about extreme heat conditions approaching. Follow their social media platforms or download the Weather Smart App from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to stay informed.

Although there are many weather forecast websites and apps available, SAWS is the only authorised provider of weather forecasts in South Africa and has the most accurate and up to date information.

Be prepared

  • Stay informed by regularly checking weather updates online and follow news updates on TV and radio.
  • Ensure that you read and understand the contents of the City’s Heat Wave Leaflet.
  • Learn emergency skills such as first aid and CPR to recognise and how to respond to heat illness.
  • Put together an emergency kit to ensure that you are prepared in the case of power and water outages:
    Make sure you have backup batteries and chargers for your devices, handheld or desk fans.
    Set aside at least four to five litres of drinking water per person per day (remember to cater for animals too) and make sure this is stored in clean containers in a cool, dark place.

Stay cool and hydrated

Seek shade, keep hydrated, look after pets and vulnerable people, use sunscreen and protective clothing.
  • Stay hydrated and carry enough water when away from home or the office. Consider adding drinks containing electrolytes or sachets of electrolyte drink power or oral rehydration solution, or follow these recipes to make healthy hydrating drinks at home. Grow and add mint to your water as mint leaves have hydrating qualities.
  • Those who are physically active (sports, manual labour) during hot days should carry electrolyte drinks, rehydration solutions or sachets or particularly ensure access to water.
  • Make your own ice pack to keep yourself or water and food cold.
  • Use an effective sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of between 20 and 50.
  • Wear a hat with a wide brim that shades the face, ears and back of the neck.
  • Use wet wipes, ice packs, or a cold wet towel or hand towel to cool down, focussing on the back of the neck, under the arms and between upper legs
  • Wrap a cold wet hand towel around feet or keep them submerged in cold water.
  • Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing, ideally in natural fibres and light colours where possible.
  • Carry a pocket umbrella, battery/USB operated handheld fan or make your own hand fan, and prioritise shaded walking routes.
  • See specific information for the elderly and babies and children. If you are struggling keeping children hydrated, entice them by making ice lollies or flavoured ice cubes
  • Make sure to check on family and friends who fall within the high risk groups and help spread heat awareness in your social, professional and family groups. If you have a chronic illness, ask your doctor to advise on specific heat related impacts and how your medication can be affected.

Heat-related illness symptoms and treatment

Get urgent medical help if you have a headache and feel faint, dizzy and confused. It might be heat stroke.

Medical conditionSymptoms and first aid measures
Heat syncope (temporary drop in blood flow to the brain due to overheating) Symptoms:
Brief loss of consciousness or dizziness (common in patients with cardiovascular diseases and attributed to dehydration)
First aid measures:
Move to a cool place (shaded or indoors).
Place individual in a supine position (lying on their back with the face upward) with legs and hips elevated.
Heat cramps Symptoms:
Painful muscular spasms in the legs, arms or abdomen mainly due to dehydration.
First aid measures:
Stop all physical activity and move to a cool place.
Stretch and massage muscles.
Administer an oral rehydration solution containing electrolytes.
Medical attention should be sought if heat cramps are sustained for more than one hour.
Heat exhaustion Symptoms:
Intense thirst, weakness, discomfort, anxiety, dizziness, fainting, headache, hypotension (low blood pressure) and rapid shallow breathing.
First aid measures:
Move to a cool place and remove any excess clothing
Apply external cooling (cold wet sheets, cold packs, continued fanning and spraying with cold water)
Place individual in a supine position with legs and hips elevated and start oral hydration
If condition worsens, treat as heat stroke and transfer to hospital.
Heat stroke Symptoms:
Confusion, hot and dry skin, nausea, hypotension (low blood pressure), irregular heartbeat, and abnormally rapid and shallow breathing.
First aid measures:
Call emergency services immediately (021 480 7700 from any phone or 107 from a landline), or make arrangements to take the person to a hospital. While waiting, apply the first aid measures below:
Move to a cool place, slightly raise feet and legs, and remove any excess or warm clothing.
Apply external cooling (cold packs, wet sheets on the neck, armpits and groin area, continued fanning and spraying with lukewarm water).
Position an unconscious individual in the recovery position and clear the airway to minimise risk of aspiration.
Recovery position: Make sure the person is face up and straighten their arms and legs. Take the arm closest to you and fold it over their chest. Life threatening and requires immediate medical attention.
Chronic illnessSymptoms:
Heat can worsen symptoms related to underlying chronic health issues such as cardiac, lung, kidney or respiratory conditions.
First aid measures:
Consult your doctor on how heat can impact your unique health condition or affect your medication.

Who is most impacted by heat?

Extreme and extended periods of heat affects the body’s ability to cool itself, and therefore heat impacts all age and population groups. However, some groups are more exposed to the risks posed by heat events as a result of physiology, chronic conditions or socio-economic characteristics as highlighted in the image below.

Other health issues to take note of include preterm birth complications, new-born infections, and diarrhoeal disease which is an ongoing health concern amongst children during summer in Cape Town, preterm birth complications and new-born infections.

Mental health: Exposure to heat increases feelings of aggression and frustration, and disrupts sleep patterns that can contribute to mood fluctuations. These conditions can exacerbate existing mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, and impede decision making during a very hot day or prolonged periods of extreme heat.

Look after your mental health by making use of the following services:

Alternatively, check if counselling services are offered through your company, church, medical aid or insurance policies.

Choose cool spaces

Buildings and facilities open to the public can provide cooling relief to residents and visitors during extreme heat events. Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit one of the facilities listed below during extreme heat events if they are able to.

Things to keep in mind:

Contact the Recreation and Parks Department for more information.

Heat safety on the road

Traffic congestion is particularly bad on extreme heat days when everyone heads to beaches and outdoor recreational areas.

  • Roadworthy and road safety: Ensure that your car is roadworthy to limit incidences of overheating and breakdowns.
  • Heat health safety for passengers: Ensure that there is enough cold drinking water or sports drinks for all the occupants of the vehicle, hydrating snacks such as fruit, wet wipes or a wet cloth to keep the body cool, a towel or other material that can help block the sun coming through windows, and games or other entertainment to keep children busy.
  • Use public transport to move around the city if possible and ensure that you carry enough cold drinking water.
  • Consider leaving home early in the morning to avoid peak traffic congestion during a hot weekend, public holiday or during holidays.

Occupational health and safety

The workforce, especially outdoor workers, are particularly at risk of heat-related illnesses due to factors including ambient temperatures, personal protective equipment, and physically active, strenuous and manual labour.

Adapted from the City of Cape Town internal Workplace Heat Stress Risk Assessment and a Heat Stress Workplace Management Guideline, this Heat Stress Assessment can help to ensure that your staff and colleagues stay safe during extreme heat.

Contact us

Risk and Resilience Department

Telephone:
021 444 4094

Email:
ClimateChange.Enquiries@capetown.gov.za

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