STAY COOL THIS SUMMER Educate Yourself on Heat-Related Illnesses
When thinking about extreme and deadly weather, most people conjure up images of massive tornadoes in the Midwest or hurricanes and flooding in the Southeast. But you might be surprised to learn that the deadliest extreme weather event is excessive heat. In fact, according to a study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), heat causes more deaths each year than floods, lightning, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined . Since 2020 was the second warmest year on record and all the other years in the top 10 have occurred since 2005, it’s time to wise up about heat-related illnesses. HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES AND RISK FACTORS According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heat-related illnesses are caused by “exposure to extreme heat where the body becomes unable to properly cool, resulting in a rapid rise in body temperature.” There are several kinds of heat-related illnesses. The least severe are heat rashes, sunburn, and heat cramps, and the most serious are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. While anyone can experience these illnesses if they overexert themselves in hot weather, some groups are more at risk than others, including: • Children under the age of 4 and adults over the age of 65 • People with preexisting medical conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease As more and more people get vaccinated, people are becoming more comfortable with traveling again. That means travel services like Expedia, Orbitz, Airbnb and Vrbo, which give travelers a wide variety of lodging options, are seeing a resurgence in business. Before the pandemic and now, booking through Airbnb and Vrbo were particularly attractive options for travelers who wanted the comforts of a home in an unfamiliar city, state, or country. The only drawback, however, is that the owners of the individual properties are responsible for their marketing and maintenance. This sometimes means travelers are left with lackluster lodgings for their vacation. So, one company decided to combine the hominess of an Airbnb with the professional upkeep of a hotel or resort so travelers can be sure they’re getting the most luxurious, comfortable place to stay possible: Vacasa. Vacasa was founded in 2009 by Eric and Alia Breon after they tried to find a rental company that would also do the maintenance work needed on a cottage Alia had inherited. They discovered that no The Comfort of Home and the Luxury of a Resort
• People who are overweight • People taking certain kinds of medication • Individuals who are intoxicated or drink excessively
SYMPTOMS TO WATCH OUT FOR Both heat exhaustion and heat stroke have many of the same symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, and passing out. But other symptoms help differentiate the two. Heat stroke victims will have hot, red skin that may be dry or damp, and they’ll likely have a fast, strong pulse. By contrast, victims of heat exhaustion will have cold, pale, and clammy skin and a fast but weak pulse. Heat stroke is a medical emergency requiring professional medical attention immediately. You should also seek medical help for anyone exhibiting the above symptoms who is also throwing up or whose symptoms are getting worse or last longer than one hour. For a complete list of symptoms and treatment for all heat-related illnesses, visit CDC.gov/disasters/extremeheat/warning.html . Stay cool this summer and prevent heat-related illnesses by seeking shade or staying indoors on hot days, avoiding exerting yourself in the heat, and drinking plenty of water!
one could provide them the services they needed and inadvertently discovered a niche in the market, one that Vacasa now fills.
While Vacasa, much like Airbnb, doesn’t own the properties listed on its site, they do take responsibility for the marketing of those properties and the upkeep. That way, travelers can be sure of the quality of their lodgings before they leave home. At the same time, however, Vacasa has been successful because their niche doesn’t put them in direct competition with other vacation rental companies. They can advertise their properties on Airbnb and Vrbo as more luxurious options, taking advantage of their users without taking them away from other providers. Over a decade after Vacasa’s founding, they have rentals in 34 states and three different countries; over 2 million people use their site to book their vacation home every year. As the world continues to open back up, all those numbers will no doubt continue to grow.
2 WWW.POPALOCKKY.COM
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