Unprecedented high heat index

By Leonardo Micua 

AFTER so many days of hot summer, rain finally fell early evening of April 11, drenching a large area of Pangasinan and even spawning flash flood in a few low-lying streets of Dagupan City.    

Of course, this definitely was a big relief for all of us who had long endured the seemingly abnormal high heat index a few days before in our homes, offices and outdoor.  Sorry, but this is not yet a cause for celebration as summer is still on and it will take several more weeks before we can finally bid El Niño goodbye. 

But before Thursday’s rain, many were saying that save for the absence of arid desert, rolling sand dunes and camels, Dagupan City is now almost like Saudi Arabia because of the searing heat of the sun from 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily.    

If you noticed, since the El Niño phenomenon set in, the heat index in Dagupan was recorded as among the highest, if not the highest all over the archipelago.   

Imagine at one period of the day last April 8, the heat index in Dagupan climbed to a record of 51.7 Celsius, the highest ever this year all over the Philippines. It was down to 5.1 Celsius on April 10, but still the third highest in the land.  This prompted PAGASA to warn that prolonged exposure by people under the sun when it is shining at its peak could pose danger to their health.   

With Dagupan City as a point of reference, the extreme heat without doubt was shared by everybody else in Pangasinan, from Dagupan to Bolinao and Infanta and from Dagupan to Umingan and San Nicolas.

Today, we often see people on TV and also on You Tube moaning about the hot weather, saying it is a bane to their everyday life.  Complicating matters for most of us is the yellow alert given by the National Power Corporation about the seeming shallow power reserves of the country, which will likely result in brownouts or shifting brownouts in some areas.

The good news is that the San Roque dam has yet plenty of water for power generation and for irrigating farmlands serviced by existing irrigation systems. The sad news is the report that the water utility firm serving Metro Manila will cut off water service in some areas by Holy Week (Cuaresma to the Pangasinenses) at the time when the heat index could be possibly higher.    

Unlike in Metro Manila, water is still aplenty in Dagupan despite the higher heat index being felt by the populace.  

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Who says that the hot weather condition in Dagupan is again the fault of Mayor Belen Fernandez?

Only the trolls would buy that idea. I warn them that if they do, they could again be exposed for their stupidity, like what they did when they blamed her for the floods last year. How can anyone not believe that the prevailing high heat index is the handiwork of nature. And so with the floods. 

This brings me to the question: Does the super massive Black Hole in the far Milky Way, whose image was at last captured by scientists using long range telescopic cameras a few days ago, have something to do with the abnormal weather condition in the Philippines and the world?

Many believe so although scientists have yet to begin more study on the mystery of the Black Hole using the images that they captured on their telescopes.

It is not far-fetched to suspect that the Black Hole may have been responsible for global warming that caused El Niño, La Niña and extreme drought in many parts of the globe. 

This could be a factor for the frequent super typhoons, unprecedented rains, hurricanes, earthquakes and other adverse weather disturbances that affect humankind.

The smoke that we create through combustion escapes to the atmosphere and contributes highly to the deterioration of ozone layer, the roof top of the world.  The ozone layer is from the ultra violet rays of the sun.      

Because of global warming, mountains of glaciers in the Arctic and Antartic Regions are now melting fast which is precisely the reason for the continuing rise of sea level that has endangered many coastal towns and cities.   

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Based on the report of Provincial Health Officer Dr. Anna de Guzman, so far nobody has been hospitalized for ailments associated with the hot weather condition. like heart burns, stroke, nausea, cardiac arrests and others. 

That’s good! However, PHO advised people, especially the senior citizens and those with heart condition, to drink plenty of water and stay indoors. But if they cannot avoid going out, they must always bring along an umbrella and a bottle of water with which to drink, plus wear light clothes made of cotton. 

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