Residents in Manteca and Lathrop that find themselves in the unfortunate position of being without air conditioning during the current heat wave today will have a place they can go in order to cool down.
In Manteca, the Transit Center at 220 Moffat Boulevard will serve as a cooling center today from 1 to 9 p.m.
From noon to 7 p.m., the City of Lathrop will be opening up the Lathrop Senior Center – located at 15707 5th Street – to any residents that may have any other options when it comes to getting out of the triple digit temperatures that are expected to blanket the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
According to Accuweather, the temperature Thursday night wasn’t expected to drop below 70 degrees – setting up the perfect conditions for what experts believe will be a day that will exceed 105 degrees. The temperature on Saturday is once again expected to break 100 degrees – the low on Friday night into Saturday morning is supposed to be 71 degrees – with a slight reprieve coming on Sunday.
While most people would consider not having air conditioning during a heat wave to be an “uncomfortable” thing to experience, the circumstances can be deadly.
Based on data that was collected and analyzed by the Los Angeles Times, between 2010 and 2019 a total of 599 people died in California as a result of heat-related issues. But those numbers may have been slightly misleading, and up to one-sixth of the actual total of who died as a result of the high temperatures.
When investigators began looking at the number of reported deaths on hot days compared to mild ones, they noticed an alarming jump in the totals – estimating that the 599 number could realistically have been nearly 4,000.
The deadliest period, according to the analysis done by publication, appeared to have been between 2016 and 2017 when more than 1,500 people may have died due to heat-related issues.
Recognizing that the scorching heat waves that bombard the Northern San Joaquin Valley constitute public health emergencies, municipalities like Lathrop and Manteca have been proactive in recent years in getting the word out to the community about cooling centers to prevent tragedy from striking.
Seniors, those with high blood pressure, and those that are exerting themselves outdoors during hot temperatures are more likely to be impacted by the heat and are urged to use caution during the coming days.
For additional information, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
