Heat kills more Americans than any other weather event, and Georgia families need to know which loved ones face the greatest danger when temperatures soar.
🌡️ Why It Matters: While everyone suffers in extreme heat, certain groups face life-threatening risks that most people don’t realize. According to the National Weather Service, 39 children died in hot cars last year.
🚨 The Most Vulnerable: Young children and infants struggle the most because their bodies can’t adapt to heat like adults can. Older adults, especially those with medical conditions, limited mobility, or who live alone without air conditioning, face multiple health threats during heat waves.
🤰 Hidden Dangers: Pregnant women face risks that extend beyond their own health. Extreme heat has been linked to low birth weight, preterm births, infant mortality, and congenital cataracts in newborns.
⚠️ Car Death Trap: It’s never safe to leave anyone locked in a vehicle, even during winter months. Children can die in just 10 minutes inside a hot car. Parents should lock their cars even in their own driveways, as toddlers may wander outside and climb into vehicles.
🏥 The Big Picture: People with chronic medical conditions are significantly more likely to experience serious health problems during heat waves compared to healthy individuals. The National Weather Service said that deaths from hot cars occur as early as April and continue through December in southern states.
The Sources: National Weather Service.
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.
