Outdoor workers already battling triple-digit heat before summer officially begins
By Abel Garcia
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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Triple-digit temperatures are hitting Southern Nevada before summer has even officially started, and the people who spend their days outside are already feeling the impact.
Asphalt at a shopping center on the corner of Charleston and Rancho measured 136 degrees, while bus stops in the area were registering between 120 and 130 degrees — conditions that workers and transit riders are navigating every day.
A worker with a cleaning services company at the shopping center said the heat this year feels more intense than usual. He and his crew take a 10-minute break every 40 minutes, stepping into the shade or into their cars with the air conditioning running.
“It’s been very hot,” said Martha Rando, a regular bus rider.
Rando waited nearly an hour at one of those scorching bus stops for her bus to arrive.
“About an hour. It was an hour. I was an hour late for the appointments,” Rando said.
Pool plastering worker Erick Calderon said the extreme heat forces his crew to shift their schedule.
“We usually work like one, like we say just one hour difference earlier,” Calderon said.
Calderon said proper preparation is essential for anyone working outdoors.
“Our sombrero and our long sleeve shirts for the sun because without long sleeves….you would get burned,” Calderon said.
Calderon said the heat is no joke and urged everyone to dress appropriately, stay hydrated and wear plenty of sunscreen.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada told me it has secured a $750,000 federal grant to launch a program called “Let’s Go Prepared.” Over the next two years, the program will work to make the transit system more resilient to extreme weather. On Tuesday, the RTC’s Summer Heat Team was out at bus stops distributing water bottles to help riders stay cool.
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