Latest news with #HeatWave
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
TSA Says Sweat Can Trigger Extra Security Checks at U.S. Airports—What to Know
Airport security can be a stressful place, but try not to sweat it. If you do, you might end up with problems. Heat waves are sweeping across the world and the summer sizzle continues in the United States, so it's not unexpected travelers may get a little sweaty when traveling through the airport. But it turns out, getting too sweaty might actually cause delays and trigger the need for extra security screenings. In fact, a passenger who is visibly perspiring might trigger the need for a wand screening or extra pat down, according to a report from CNN. 'Added moisture from a person's body can alter the density of clothing, so it is possible perspiration may cause our Advanced Imaging Technology machines to alarm,' a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson told the network. 'If this occurs, the passenger may need to undergo additional screening, such as a pat-down in the area of the body where the [machine is] alarmed, to ensure there is no threat.' But while pat downs may make an already stressful environment even more so, security lines at U.S. airports might start to move a little faster now that the TSA will no longer require travelers to remove their shoes when they pass through security. And that change may leave travelers with a lot less to sweat about. 'Ending the 'Shoes-Off' policy is the latest effort DHS is implementing to modernize and enhance traveler experience across our nation's airports,' Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. 'We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience.' Noem added: "Thanks to our cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach, we are confident we can implement this change while maintaining the highest security standards." A week after that announcement, Noem said she had started "questioning" the TSA's current liquid limitations in carry-on bags. But despite her comments, it may actually be years before travelers can take large liquids with them. Currently, travelers must limit liquids, gels, creams, pastes, and aerosols in their carry-on luggage to 3.4 ounces or less and store them in a quart-sized resealable bag, which may need to be placed separately in a bin. Travelers who are part of the agency's expedited security screening program TSA PreCheck are also limited to 3.4-ounces, but they are not required to remove liquids from their luggage during screening. Similarly, these travelers were not required to remove their shoes during security screening even before the new rule went into effect. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Heat advisories and warnings issued for Southeast and Midwest as temperatures and humidity soars
Extreme Weather Heat Tennessee It's always hot in the summer in the U.S. Southeast, but even by the standards of Florida and the Carolinas, the steamy heat wave on tap for the region Saturday into the coming week is a little extreme. The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for a large swath of the East Coast from central Florida to Virginia through much of the weekend. Highs in the upper 90s F (mid 30s C) were forecast for central Florida, with heat indexes reaching 105 degrees F to 110 degrees F (40.6 C to 43 C). The outlook was similar up through Georgia and the Carolinas into Virginia. Extreme heat warnings were out for much of eastern North Carolina, as far inland as Raleigh, and extending into a corner of South Carolina, including Myrtle Beach. Forecasters warned of dangerously hot conditions with temperatures approaching or exceeding 100 F (38 C) in some areas on Sunday and heat indexes up to 115 F through Sunday evening. 'Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. the weather service advised. "Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Stay cool, stay hydrated, stay informed.' The weather service said several major metropolitan areas in the Southeast — including Raleigh and Charlotte in North Carolina, Greenville-Spartanburg in South Carolina, and Atlanta in Georgia — were expected to face an extreme heat risk for several days, with minimal overnight relief. It said over 30 million people would likely be affected at the peak of the heat wave through midweek. A hot, humid weekend was also in store for the Midwest. Extreme heat watches were out for eastern Nebraska, western Iowa and southern Minnesota. Heat indexes were expected to reach 96 F (36 C) on Saturday and go even higher on Sunday in Minnesota. And an extreme heat warning was out for the St. Louis, Missouri, area through Tuesday evening, with highs around 99 F (37 C) and heat indexes around 110 F forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Parts of Iowa were hit by storms Saturday morning that dumped between 2 and 5 inches (5 to 13 centimeters) of rain in some areas and triggered flash flood warnings.
National Observer
22-07-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Why calling the Texas flooding an 'act of god' is a dangerous form of political denial
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration In the aftermath of the catastrophic flooding in Texas last week, government officials from President Donald Trump to the governor of Texas to county representatives have sought to deflect blame and shift public focus away from questions of responsibility. The White House press secretary called the flooding 'an act of God': 'It's not the administration's fault that the flood hit when it did,' Karoline Leavitt said. Gov. Greg Abbott said that asking about blame was for ' losers.' And Trump himself told the media that 'nobody expected it, nobody saw it.' To understand more about how governments communicate with the public in the wake of a tragic loss of life, and how to interpret the Trump administration's messaging on Texas, Inside Climate News spoke to Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist and the author of the book Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago. Heat Wave investigates the government response during and after the deadly 1995 Chicago heat wave — the 30th anniversary of which begins Saturday — and the social, political and institutional causes that ultimately led to more than 700 deaths. Klinenberg catalogs the typical strategies used by governments when they are seeking to evade accountability, from euphemism and denial to silencing experts and trying to paint an event as uniquely unprecedented. He used this framework to analyze the way that Mayor Richard Daley and his staff talked about the heat wave and its victims. Today, Daley's comments sound eerily similar to Trump's: 'Let's be realistic,' Daley said at a press conference as the death toll rose. 'No one realized the deaths of that high an occurrence would take place.' A Chicago health department official said that 'government can't guarantee that there won't be a heat wave.' Later, the heat wave was officially described as a 'unique meteorological event.' As a disturbing trend repeats in the wake of the Texas floods, the question begs to be asked: how can people learn from history if they deny it even happened? 'This kind of rhetoric promotes complacency, since it signals there's nothing anyone could do to make a difference,' Klinenberg said. When it comes to what happened in Texas and in Chicago, he said, we know that's not true. KILEY BENSE: I read your book Heat Wave a few months ago, and I've been thinking about it a lot ever since, but especially in the last week, reading the news about what happened in Texas and reading everything that some of our politicians and government officials have been saying. What was your initial reaction to hearing that type of messaging from government officials in the wake of what just happened? ERIC KLINENBERG: It's totally predictable and totally familiar. And it's a total cop out. It's a strategy that political officials have used for ages to deny accountability after failing to do their jobs. We know by now that there's no such thing as a natural disaster. First of all, the weather is no longer natural in our climate-changed world. Second, the reason some people are especially vulnerable has far more to do with social and political factors than with Mother Nature. And this is by now so well known, it's a cliche, but if you're a political official, calling a disaster 'natural' absolves you of responsibility, makes it seem inevitable. BENSE: Especially the phrase, 'an act of God.' KLINENBERG: We already know there are countless decisions that people and political officials made that turned the floods into a human catastrophe: the decision to settle and develop a vulnerable riverfront area. The decision to expand in harm's way, even when scientists warned about the risks. The decision to ignore environmental reviews. The decision to fire government officials who track the weather and communicate with local officials. The decision by local officials not to invest in emergency warning systems. Up and down the line, we see human causes of a catastrophe that, at minimum, made this significantly more lethal than it should have been. God didn't ordain that. BENSE: The camp that was most affected had expanded and built more cabins about six years ago. And they built right in the floodplain. KLINENBERG: The camp was aware of the dangers on the river and concerned about the dangers on the river. Yet it did it anyway. Texas is a state that's notoriously in denial about climate change, notoriously hostile to environmental review and notoriously unwilling to regulate in the name of public health and safety. BENSE: In your book, you write about the 1995 Chicago heat wave and the messaging used in the aftermath of that event by the mayor and his administration. What were the results of the communication about the heat wave? KLINENBERG: Unfortunately, that kind of rhetoric worked in Chicago. It confused the public. It generated a media debate about whether the deaths were really real, because the mayor challenged the medical examiner's mortality findings, and it also generated a debate about who was responsible, because the city government's position was that people died because they neglected to take care of themselves. During a time of crisis or uncertainty, leading political officials and big media organizations have an outsized influence on our interpretation of the situation. I think the rhetoric of the natural disaster, of blaming the victim, made it far more difficult for Chicago to make sense of what happened in 1995 and made the world far less likely to learn from their failures. BENSE: To come back to Texas, what are your concerns with this being the immediate reaction from not just federal officials, but also on the local level? KLINENBERG: My concern is that by calling this 'an act of God,' and obfuscating the social and political causes of the disaster, they make the next one inevitable. It's especially sad because so many young people lost their lives, and it's been a horrific week to track their stories and to learn about the families, unsure of their children's fate. It's been a terrifying week, and I don't know a single climate scientist who believes that we'll have less of this in the future, right? Everyone knows we're just going to see more dangerous weather systems like this one, and as long as we deny the ways that we're making them worse, we're doomed to repeat them.
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Extreme Heat Watch issued for Chicago area Wednesday and Thursday
The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Watch for the entire Chicago area Wednesday and Thursday for an impending heat wave. The watch goes into effect Wednesday at 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. Thursday, and has been issued for Booke, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Kankakee, LaSalle Lake, McHenry and Will counties in Illinois. High temperatures and extreme humidity will create dangerously hot conditions, with the CBS First Alert Weather team forecasting a heat index between 105 and 115 degrees on those days. The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications said it will be working closely with the NWS to monitor conditions and take actions needed to keep people safe. Chicago and Cook County have dozens of cooling centers that will be open during the heat wave so any members of the public who do not have reliable access to air conditioning can come cool down. Officials are also asking people to be sure to check on their neighbors, particularly if they're elderly or have health complications, to make sure that everyone stays safe during the heat. Heat exhaustion and heatstroke are major risks during a heat wave, especially with high humidity. It is easy to become overheated and dehydrated in high temperatures, so it is essential to make sure you are drinking enough water. Heat exhaustion is milder than heat stroke. It can develop after several days of exposure to heat and inadequate or unbalanced fluid replacement. Heatstroke is a serious illness that happens when the body begins to lose its ability to regulate its own temperature and functions, and can result in permanent disability or death if not treated as quickly as possible. Heat exhaustion symptoms include headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, irritability, thirst, heavy sweating, high body temperature and decreased urine output. If you or someone you know is experiencing heat exhaustion move into a cool indoor space or shade immediately, give them liquids to drink, remove unnecessary clothing including shoes and socks, used cold water or a cold compress to cool the person down on their head, face and neck, and frequently sip cold water. The CDC also encourages calling 911 or taking the person to an urgent care clinic or the emergency room for treatment. Heatstroke symptoms include confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech, hot and dry skin or profuse sweating, very high body temperature, loss of consciousness, and very high body temperature. If treatment is delayed, it can quickly become fatal, the CDC says. If you are with someone experiencing heat stroke, call 911 immediately and stay with that person until help arrives. Move them into a shaded, cool area and remove their outer clothing then work to cool them down as quickly as you can with cold water or an ice bath if possible. Wet the skin or place cold, wet clothes on the skin, or soak their clothing with cold water. You should also circulate the air around them by fanning to help cool them off. The CDC also recommends placing cold wet cloths or ice on the head, neck, armpits and groin to help cool them faster.
Geek Dad
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Absolute Flash #5: Heating Up
Absolute Flash #5 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: The Absolute line continues to have an unparalleled creative record, as just about every issue is phenomenal. That's definitely the case for this issue, as Wally West faces his largest-scale threat ever – but it may not be a villain at all. Last issue saw the runaway teenager still struggling to master his powers as he finds a surprise haven – a mission and foster home run by Ralph and Sue Dibny. He even finds a friend and maybe something more in Linda Park, another kid calling the place home. But it's not long before things go sideways – a mysterious creature is lurking in the sewers under the mission, burning everything it touches. Wally encounters it, and soon realizes it's not a monster at all – it's Mick Rory, one of the Rogues, and he wasn't thought to have survived the experiment. But he did – if you can call what he's turned into surviving. Fireproof. Via DC Comics. AL Kaplan guest-stars on art for the second issue, and their depiction of Heat Wave is terrifying – this is the most radical reinvention of a villain yet, and he's been turned into something more akin to Plasmus. But this isn't a rampaging beast driven by hate – it's pretty clear that what's left of Mick Rory is terrified and in pain. But the only person who understands that at first is Grodd – and the little fan-favorite monkey does his best to get it across before one of the combatants does something they can't take back. The issue also has some great segments for the rest of the Rogues, as Dr. Thawne continues her shady plans and Rudy West makes a bold decision to try to save his son. But in the middle of all this, Wally discovers exactly how much his powers can do – and potentially loses the only safe haven he has. This is one of the best takes on Wally West I've read in a very long time. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
