It's not a heat wave," says Director of the Meteorological Service Evan Thompson. In an interview with Radio Jamaica, he explained that although we are facing gruesome heat, Jamaica has experienced higher temperatures previously. Our current situation comes from low rainfall and increased humidity over the last several months.
Regardless, the talk is everywhere. If you are not talking about it, perhaps you aren’t in Jamaica. This is a tropical country, so we are naturally built for the heat. But this time around we are questioning if we can handle it because “this a beat we bad.”
In his interview, Thompson said temperatures are higher than normal globally, and nights are also warmer. That means there is no escape—unless you are lucky enough to live in cool places like Mandeville.
To add to the issue, some of us were already struggling with electricity bills. What now, when Jamaica is living next door to the sun? The real question is: will this influence our agricultural sector in the coming months? And what else can we expect from this heat? Only time will tell the overall impact that we’ll have from this crisis.
There is very little to be done besides using our best efforts to contend with the scorching heat and exhaustion. After all, we cannot ask the government to switch off the sun. We hope it will supply more communities across the island with running water and educate the nation on safety and well-being during this time.
We offer a few tips to help you cool down. Keep hydrated, wear breathable clothing, especially when working under the sun all day, and take individual precautions to minimize the potential health risks these temperatures bring.