Georgia is facing a dangerous heat wave this week, with much of the state at risk for serious heat-related illness. Here’s what you need to know to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
🥵 Why It Matters: Extreme heat can be deadly, especially for children, older adults, and people without air conditioning. Staying safe in this heat is about more than comfort—it’s about protecting lives.
🌡️ What’s Happening: The National Weather Service says most of Georgia will see “major” to “extreme” heat risk on June 24 and 25.
- Many areas, including Atlanta, Athens, and Augusta, are in the highest risk zones.
- This level of heat can cause illness fast, especially if you don’t have good cooling or enough water.
🚨 Between the Lines: This heat wave is not just uncomfortable—it’s dangerous.
- People who work outside, kids, pets, and anyone without air conditioning are at the highest risk.
- Hospitals and emergency services may see more calls for heat-related problems.
🧊 How to Stay Safe:
- Drink lots of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
- Take breaks in the shade or indoors as much as possible.
- Never leave kids or pets in cars, even for a minute.
- Check on neighbors, especially the elderly or those without air conditioning.
- If you must work outside, use a buddy system and take frequent breaks.
🕒 The Big Picture: Heat waves are becoming more common and more dangerous in Georgia. Planning ahead—like making sure your air conditioning works and knowing where to go to cool off—can save lives.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
