Each year the earth is getting hotter and we are experiencing major heat waves and crop killing droughts – and it is killing many of us people as well.

The news is filled with dire language about how our food prices will increase but we rarely hear about the dead unless the numbers are very very high

And while we hear, usually well in advance, about taking precautions for tornadoes, hurricanes and blizzards – we don't seem to get the same warnings through the media about heat waves.

BUT:

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, blizzards or tornadoes might be more dramatic and attention grabbing than a heat wave, but in reality, the heat may be capable of claiming more lives than even these violent storms.

The drama of hurricanes may be great TV but the deaths from heat are greater in number and do not get as much coverage.

Maybe because heat pictures are less interesting?

And deaths from heat are not pretty?

And sadly – maybe because most heat related deaths are older poorer people?

Living alone, being poor, and being in an apartment building, are factors in heat related deaths.  the poor are congregated usually in the not-too-good parts of cities and no matter what is the temperature, residents do not open their windows because crime tends to enter.

Open windows are an invitation to crime. That's a sad statistic about modern cultures. And older, poorer people do not tend to use air conditioners because either they aren't supplied or they fear they won't be able to pay the high electric bill.

Please – if you have poor or elderly people living near you – do check on them.

Most towns and cities have a cooling center where they can spend the day and some may have night services.

We have overnight warming shelters for the extremely cold temperatures. We should have equivalent cooling shelters for the extremely hot weather.

We need some serious political clout behind making changes to protect the poor and the older among us in all kinds of situations.