Beat the heat

We pray for the people of Taiwan after the strongest earthquake to hit the country in 25 years. A 7.4-magnitude earthquake shook the island nation on Wednesday. So far, nine are confirmed dead and 50 are missing. No Filipinos died in the earthquake as many of our countrymen work in Taiwan. The tremor caused widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure. The Philippines and Japan issued a tsunami warning but, by the grace of God, no tsunamis occurred.

Here in the Philippines, what is on everyone’s mind is the extreme heat. We're in an El Niño phase right now, which explains the weather. April has just begun, and we are now experiencing the brunt of the heat. Ironically, some schools have canceled classes due to the heat. I thought heavy rain and wind were the only reasons to cancel classes. This is the right move as not all classrooms are blessed with air-conditioning.

The DOH warns not to wait for extreme thirst before drinking water this summer, especially for children and the elderly. Hydration is important to the body. Especially where the heat index can reach 42 and 43 degrees Celsius. That's hot! PAGASA issues daily bulletins on the weather so it would be wise to be updated. Be one step ahead of dehydration. I can only think of those on dialysis. They can't just drink water since the body cannot get rid of the excess fluids. Only the machine can do that. PAGASA says the effect of El Niño is weakening, but the La Niña phenomenon may not enter until later this year. La Niña brings cooler weather and rain. We can only hope it arrives sooner than later.

The extreme heat brings with it an increase in the consumption of electricity. Those who are forced to turn on the air-conditioner. You can't just stay at the mall all the time. Some malls have turned down their air-conditioning as a means of saving on electricity bills. Beach resorts are surely booming. What better thing to do to beat the heat than submerge in cool water or stand under a cold shower? Sales of halo-halo and ice-cream are also booming. I would imagine sales of new air-conditioning units are also on the rise if older units just cannot cope with the heat. In other words, avoid being a victim of heat stroke this intense summer. Drink plenty of water, stay out of the sun, wear loose or thin clothing, and stay in a cool place. Simple ways to beat the heat.