Bakersfield suffers from heat waves every summer. Heat waves are a period of time when the weather is hot for more than a couple days.The hottest temperature ever recorded here in Bakersfield is 118 degrees on July 18, 1908. The average summer heat temperature in Bakersfield is 98 degrees. Out of the 45-60 days of summer, about 33 days the temperature is higher than 100 degrees.
Heat waves kill more people than other natural disasters like tornadoes, floods, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and many other natural disasters. It’s recommended that if it’s over the temperature of 100 degrees that you should stay inside. The first couple weeks of September, the weather was 100-116 degrees. Bakersfield High School (BHS) still had school in those extreme heat days. Other high schools still had school as well, but instead of them getting out at their original time they got out early. BHS was not the only high school that suffered with this problem.
The district didn’t try to fix the problem because not enough parents were calling being concerned. Because of this situation, kids that have P.E. past 11 a.m had to suffer in the heat. The extreme heat can cause kids passing out, being dehydrated, and many other effects. Just because not enough parents called the district or school doesn’t mean it should be used as an excuse. It should be mandatory to let students out of school early because of the excessive heat. The problem these days is that people in charge have the power to arrange things, they just don’t do anything about it until the problem becomes bigger.
Heat waves cause many problems. Another problem other than heat and school scheduling is power shortages, black outs, and livestocks. With livestock we can’t really do anything to solve the problem with heat. On the other hand, we can try to use less power at our homes in the morning when it’s less hot than in the afternoon. If we all do this while the heat is excessive it can prevent less black outs and power shortages. Another heat wave problem is people’s health. The extreme heat can cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and hyperthermia. This is why it’s very important to stay hydrated.
