The Fifth Hurricane Hazard: A Case Study of Heat Risks Faced by Disaster Relief Workers After Hurricane Beryl's Landfall.

ABSTRACT: Hurricanes pose a wide range of health and safety threats, from wind and flooding to less recognized hazards such as heat stress. Although heat exposure has been documented after hurricanes, little research has examined how it affects disaster relief workers during recovery operations. This study evaluated the heat stress conditions faced by emergency response personnel deployed to southeastern Texas following Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, a period marked by prolonged power outages and extreme heat. Heat hazard scenarios were assessed for the Houston area using occupational exposure limits-the Recommended Alert Limit (RAL) and Recommended Exposure Limit-in combination with wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) data and factors like worker acclimatization status, work intensity, work/rest sched

SUBMITTER: Grundstein A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12715274 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature