The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reminded the public on Monday to stay hydrated, avoid direct exposure to sunlight, and wear light-colored clothes to prevent heat stroke this summer.
Local weather bureau chief Sonny Pajarilla said these reminders will help senior citizens and the children avoid the severe heat illness during the summer.
“Kailangan lang sige tayo sa intake ng tubig, umiinom-inom na hindi tayo matutuyuan at the same time, ang ating pampalabnaw talaga ng ating dugo, imagine 70% ng ating katawan ay tubig, kailangan tubig nang tubig at, of course, ‘wag direktang ma-expose sa init ng araw plus ‘wag magdamit ng mga dark-colored, dapat mga light lang siya,” Pajarilla said.
White t-shirts or dresses are advisable because they have high “albedo” or the capacity to reflect unlike dark-colored clothes such as black and red that still give the humid feeling even if an individual had already taken shelter under the shed.
Dark color absorbs the heat coming from the sun and releases it when the person goes under the shed, he said.
The island of Cuyo was reported last Friday, April 5 to experience 41 degrees Celsius of the heat index. He explained that this is because the town is a small island which has high humidity.
The local PAGASA has only recorded 35 degrees Celsius as the peak of temperature in Palawan, and with this, the humidity reaches up to 53 that results to more or less 38-39 degrees Celsius of the heat index.
He said the dangerous level of heat is 41 to 54 degrees Celsius.
Pajarilla also mentioned that the maximum temperature due to the absorption of earth on the heat produced by the sun is recorded after 2-3 hours of its peak at 12:00 noon.
“Ito yong iiwasan, mula alas dose hanggang alas tres ng hapon, iwasan talaga na magpainit o magbilad sa araw dahil dito nagpi-peak nga ‘yong temperature plus kapag na-expose pa tayo, lalong mahina ‘yong ating resistance,” he said.
