Biden Announces Measures Against Extreme Heat, A "Stealth Killer" Hurting Latinos 

The Associated Press

The Joe Biden government presented on Monday a package of measures to mitigate the effects of extreme heat, after a suffocating summer plagued by drought and forest fires.

The Departments of Labor and Health, along with other federal agencies, have prepared measures to reduce illness from high temperatures and to safeguard public health.

"Many people don't even know that extreme heat is a real threat until it's too late."

Gina McCarthy White House Advisor

Gina McCarthy, the presidential adviser on climate issues, called the extreme heat a "stealth killer" that disproportionately affects the poor, the elderly and members of ethnic minorities.

While not as visible a phenomenon as a wildfire or hurricane, "extreme heat is a significant and real threat that has lethal consequences," McCarthy said.

As part of this plan, the Department of Labor will take steps to

protect people who work outdoors

, such as farm workers, construction workers, and couriers, as well as those who work in confined spaces such as factories, warehouses, and kitchens.

A new heat wave suffocates parts of California with temperatures as high as 120 ° F.

New fires are feared

Sept.

6, 202101: 44

Farm workers and bricklayers are the most vulnerable to heat stroke and other heat-related conditions, the White House said, although other workers who lack ways to control temperatures in their environment are also at risk.

"Too much happens that injuries and health problems caused by heat are not reported, or are misclassified,

especially in sectors that employ vulnerable or undocumented people

," said the White House.

The announcement comes as President Joe Biden negotiates with world leaders to take the next steps against climate change.

In June, a heat wave exacerbated by climate change hit the northeastern United States, causing hundreds of deaths and entries to emergency rooms. 

In the wake of Hurricane Ida, hundreds of families needed assistance, such as food and ice, amid a heat wave in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In Louisiana, a power outage affected more than a million people, including the entire city of New Orleans, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Aug. 29.

At least 12 of the 28 deaths caused by Ida in Louisiana were caused by high temperatures, according to local authorities.