State and local leaders prepare for upcoming heat wave

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Heat is the number one weather-related killer across the country, and as we gear up for more triple digits, the state is taking action to help keep you safe.

California is moving into what it's calling phase two of its extreme temperature response plan.

"We at the state are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into making real this action plan," said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary, Wade Crowfoot.

The plan includes retrofitting housing, protecting outdoor workers, making sure everyone is aware of the heat to come and monitoring the impacts to the public.

"We recognize that climate change is worsening heatwaves, we are not a stranger to heatwaves in the west or in California, but these heatwaves are becoming more and more dangerous. So we at the state are focused on providing more tools, more public awareness, more infrastructure upgrades to ensure that Californians can continue to thrive," said Crowfoot.

The state is also working with the Fresno county office of emergency services.

"We're in constant contact with all of them, the state works with us, through us with the cities and we stay in contact with the cities. They do have cooling centers that they will be opening, and once it reaches a certain degrees, some of the cities have pools that are open," said Emergency Manager with Fresno County office of emergency services, Terri Mejorado.

Mejorado says while cooling off at local parks and lakes can keep you cool, the sun will be beaming this weekend, so take extra steps to keep your body's core temperature down.

"If you have to be out for a sporting event, take an umbrella, be in shade, sit underneath a tree, just be very aware of your surroundings because it will creep up on you before you know it," said Mejorado.

She says in addition to drinking water, wearing sunscreen and staying in the shade, if you have to be outside, take common sense approaches to try and keep first responders as safe as possible.

"We just want to make sure that everybody is taking the precautions that they need to take so that it doesn't create an emergency, and then we have to have our firefighters and law enforcement officers out in the heat, it compounds the emergency," said Mejorado.

The county is also warning that the heat is also drying out grasses and bringing us to the start of fire season.

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