Health and wellbeing
Walsall residents urged to take care during exceptional hot weather
Published on
A Level 4 – Emergency alert has been issued by the Met Office for the West Midlands ahead of the predicted hot weather.
Walsall residents are being urged to plan ahead and take extra care as extreme heat is forecast from this weekend into early next week.
The Met Office has issued a ‘Level 4 – Emergency' alert for the West Midlands. A hot spell is likely to develop from Sunday, followed by an exceptionally hot spell on Monday and Tuesday, leading to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure. Temperatures are expected to decrease from Wednesday onwards.
During this period:
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Residents are asked to ensure their bins are out for collection by 5.00am on Monday and Tuesday as collections may take place earlier than they usually do.
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Our Customer Experience Centre will be taking reports of emergencies and working with service areas to ensure we respond effectively and in a timely manner.
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Our services are expected to be extremely busy during the heat wave. Please bear with us and only call in the event of an emergency. This will help us prioritise effectively and return to business as usual more quickly.
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The decision to close a school lies with the leadership team and governing body for each school. The council has been working closely with schools in the borough by sharing public health advice regarding the predicted hot weather. Schools will put in place whatever is needed and appropriate to their environment to ensure the health and wellbeing of their staff and pupils.
“ As we are entering a period where very high temperatures have been forecast, it is important to look out for each other, especially older people, those with underlying conditions and younger children who may need help to keep cool. Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cool.
The hottest hours of the day are between 11:00am and 3:00pm. If you do need to go outside in the heat, keep cool, apply sun cream, wear a hat and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Cars can get hot, so never leave infants, young children or animals inside a parked vehicle.
If you or others feel unwell, get dizzy, weak or have intense thirst move to a cool place, rehydrate and cool your body down. Call NHS 111 or in an emergency dial 999.
By looking out for each other and keeping up to date with the weather forecast, we can beat the heat and enjoy the weather safely. “
ENDS
Notes to editor:
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The Level 4 - Emergency alert is issued when there is a 100 % probability of Heat-Health Alert criteria being met. For the West Midlands, the threshold temperatures are 30 degrees Celsius in the day and 15 degrees Celsius at night.
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Full details about the Heat Health alert can be found on the Met Office website: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/heat-health/?tab=heatHealth&season=normal
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You can register to receive Weather Alerts directly. To receive warnings from the National Severe Weather Warnings Service by email or SMS you can register your preferences through the new simple sign up process at: nswws-delivery.metoffice.gov.uk
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The NHS has details on how to cope during a heatwave on their website: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/
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The UK Health Security Agency have blogged about staying safe in extreme heat: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2022/07/14/staying-safe-in-extreme-heat/
