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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 7 september 2022
California and the West broil in record heat wave

By ADAM BEAM some of their public build-
Associated Press ings as cooling centers for
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) people with nowhere else
— A record-setting heat to go and offering free
wave made life miser- transportation for people
able in much of the West who could not get there.
on Tuesday, with Califor- Officials even handed out
nia stretching into its sec- motel vouchers to some
ond week of excessive homeless people through
heat that taxed the state’s a program they normally
power supply and threat- reserve for the winter, ac-
ened power shortages that cording to county spokes-
could prompt blackouts woman Janna Haynes.
while people were desper- “While a lot of people can
ately trying to stay cool. stay home, a lot of people
The California Independent do not have a home to
System Operator, the entity stay in,” Haynes said.
that oversees the state’s In state office buildings,
electrical grid, said there thermostats were being set
could be “rotating power at 85 degrees (29 C) at 5
outages” Tuesday evening p.m. to conserve electric-
when demand for power ity. Sacramento native Ari-
could reach an all-time ana Clark said she couldn’t
high. Democratic Gov. remember it ever being
Gavin Newsom urged resi- Rick Fitzpatrick holds a dog after evacuating from the Fairview Fire Monday, Sept. 5, 2022, near this hot for this long before.
dents to conserve, warning Hemet, Calif. She said she turned her air
in a video message that Associated Press conditioner off in the after-
“the risk for outages is real noons to conserve energy
and it’s immediate.” bie Chang was out walking City temperatures were spread rapidly in the Hemet and kept her 9-month old
“This heat wave is on track in Capitol Park on Tuesday about 20 degrees higher area of Southern Califor- son, Benito, cool by filling
to be both the hottest and morning, pulling a wagon than normal, hitting 105 de- nia also killed two people. up a bucket for him to play
the longest on record for of Pop-Tarts and water grees (40.5 C) on Tuesday, Authorities said they were in outside.
the state and many parts of to hand out to homeless the hottest September day found in the same area “As long as he’s keeping
the West for the month of people. She lives in an old recorded going back to and apparently died while cool that’s all that matters,”
September,” Newsom said. house that relies on wall- 1874. trying to flee the flames. Clark said.
“Everyone has to do their mounted units that she Scientists say climate Though the heat wave was Juliana Hinch, who moved
part to help step up for just says don’t work so well. The change has made the likely to peak in most plac- to Sacramento from San
a few more days.” temperature reached 91 West warmer and drier es on Tuesday, extremely Diego 2 1/2 years ago
California’s state capital of degrees (33 C) in her house over the last three decades high temperatures are ex- said she has never seen
Sacramento tied a record Monday night. and will continue to make pected to continue for sev- heat like this before. She
Tuesday with its 41st day of “The past few years in Cali- weather more extreme eral more days. said some wetlands by her
temperatures reaching at fornia, it’s really rough,” she and wildfires more frequent “It is a genuinely danger- house have mostly dried
least 100 degrees Fahren- said. “I really love this state. and destructive. In the last ous event from a human up, so she leaves water in
heit (38 degrees Celsius). And growing up I never five years, California has health perspective,” said her front yard “for other
And there was a chance imagined I’d exactly want experienced the largest Daniel Swain, a climate sci- random animals,” including
the city would break its all- to live outside of California, and most destructive fires entist with the University of cats, squirrels and coyotes.
time high temperature of unless maybe internation- in state history. California, Los Angeles In- Hinch said she once lived
114 degrees Fahrenheit (46 ally. But this is very difficult.” A wildfire that started Fri- stitute for Environment and in Washington state but
degrees Celsius) set in 1925, In neighboring Nevada, day in the Northern Cali- Sustainability moved away because it
according to the National Reno set a record of 102 fornia community of Weed Sacramento County of- was too cold. Now, she said
Weather Service. degrees (39 C) on Monday killed two people and one ficials were using the air- “that sounds like a good
Sacramento native Deb- while in Utah’s Salt Lake that erupted Monday and conditioned lobbies of problem to have.”q

World’s second-tallest roller coaster is

permanently closing

SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) — An amusement park in accident influenced their decision to perma-
Ohio announced Tuesday it would be perma- nently close the coaster, which has operated
nently closing the world’s second-tallest roller for 19 years and drawn 18 million riders.
coaster. In a statement announcing the closure, the
The decision by Cedar Point comes a year af- park noted it “legacy of ride innovation contin-
ter a small metal object flew off the 420-foot ues. Our team is hard at work, creating a new
(128-meter) tall Top Thrill Dragster coaster and and reimagined ride experience.” It said more
struck a woman in the head at the park in San- details about its plans would be disclosed in the
dusky. A state investigation found no evidence future.
that the park acted illegally or had reason to The Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great
believe the ride was unsafe. Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, is
The ride has remained closed since the Aug. 15, considered the world’s tallest with a 456-foot
2021 accident. Park officials did not say if the (139-meter) elevation.q