Sacramento region hit with triple-digit heat wave

On Friday morning, a group of five met outside a Costco in Sacramento. They’d responded to a social media callout from the mutual aid group Bay Area Super Heroes, or BASH, to distribute water to unhoused residents at the beginning of what was predicted to be a multiple day, triple-digit heatwave. 

Crimson Fist, one of the directors of BASH, gathered the group early in the day in an attempt to beat the heat. After purchasing 32 cases of water bottles — funded by donations to BASH — Fist told the group where to go next. 

Like many mutual aid groups, BASH frequently focuses on lending aid to unhoused communities during times of need. That day, they planned to distribute water at encampments throughout the city. 

“If you show up at a camp, understand that that's [like] a person's living room that you're about to walk into,” Fist told the group. “If you see people, ask where they want the water.” 

Sacramento saw weekend temperatures soar into the triple digits. Experts say this can lead to health risks or even death for those exposed to the extreme heat. The heatwave also posed a particular health risk for unhoused people who may not be able to find respite from it. 

Although cooling centers opened in the area, Fist says they’re not always accessible. 

“A lot of them are in places that people can't get to on foot,” they said. “They can't just walk miles and miles and miles in the heat to get to a cooling center.”

Heatwaves have been a growing point of focus for BASH. Fist said needs frequently surpass their resources. 

The water ran out fast. By 11 a.m., Fist single-handedly gave out over a dozen cases of water bottles at two different encampments. Before heading to the second one, Fist had already run out of water and needed to make a second trip to Costco to purchase more. 

“This heat is going to kill people and tomorrow is going to be hotter than today,” they said, describing the impending weekend heat wave. “The priority is hopefully saving lives. It's hopefully keeping people from passing out in the heat.”

Bingo, a resident of an encampment BASH visited along the American River, said the heat leaves people like himself “miserable.” He added that volunteer groups are, at times, the only source of water for himself and others. 

“The more community groups that we do have come out here with water, it's great and we love it and we thank you guys for it,” he said.

George Yudell and Jamie Thompson, two volunteers with Bay Area Super Heroes, load water bottles into their cars to distribute at local encampments. July 14, 2023.Manola Secaira / CapRadio

Preparing for heat waves to come 

Experts say California needs to prepare for a hotter future. Max Wei, a staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said responding to extreme heat requires more permanent, long-term solutions.

“In many parts of the state, it's really a chronic problem,” Wei said. “We can't really overlook that, because it's affecting people and unfortunately, they can be the most vulnerable, the most under-resourced.”

Some of those solutions involve the way we build homes and cities. Ronnen Levinson, a scientist and Wei’s colleague at the laboratory, said homeowners can take small steps toward more heat-resilient houses. That can include choosing light-colored paint for the exterior or roofing that is better at keeping internal temperatures low. 

Levinson said these options, which can be chosen when building a home or swapping something out, aren’t usually more expensive than less heat-resilient options. 

“By making some cool choices at the right time, you can have a happier home,” Levinson said. “And unfortunately, if you don't, then you're probably locked into a hot outcome for the next 20 years.”

Outside the home, Levinson said cities can provide respite from the heat by planting trees. 

“If you plant trees, though, or other forms of vegetation, then you will get a cooling effect from the evaporation of water,” Levinson said. “So heat island countermeasures typically do include use of trees, both for shade and for evaporative cooling of the air outside.” 

Wei said he’s seen the state of California take more aggressive action to address extreme heat in recent years. 

“We do see this increased attention and focus,” he said. “This is going to be with us for a while.”