Feelin' Hot

The heat that we have on St. Martin now is not the heat that we had here 15 years ago, or maybe even even 10 years ago. Formerly, the heat would start around noon and persons would avoid going out for long periods of time and being exposed to the sun. Now, it's hot from nine o'clock in the morning - the sun is already scorching. The climate has really, really changed.

— Elder

In St. Martin, when it's hot - it's really hot, like the sun don't play and it's making you sick, like you want to sometimes throw up.

— Youth participant in the 18-24 group

When you fall asleep and the power goes out - the fans stop, the heat just creeps in and you can't fall back asleep.

I mostly walk...sometimes I will get dizzy, the heat will just make me feel like I want to fall down.

— Outdoor worker and youth participant in the 13-17 group

The two hours of class can be extremely long when it's hot. It's over-stimulating, having to cater to all of these needs while also trying to cater to yourself. You don't want to say it or show it, because we always put the children first, but it comes out eventually.

— Teacher

When it's too hot, you kind of get a bit disoriented in your work. Things become harder, you forget more. It is not so much of a big change, but it is a difference.

— Caregiver

We do work that is physically quite intense, you get overheated quickly.

— Caregiver

There is a slight heat wave going on on the island right now. And, I have had situations in the classes where the heat does get a bit overwhelming at times.

Some of the children are able to stand the heat, but some of them - oftentimes, while you're teaching, they lay down. Not because they're being unresponsive, but just because of the heat. They might have a headache. They might not be feeling well throughout the heat in the class. So, that has been noticeable in classes the last couple of days.

— Teacher

My classroom has two air conditioners, however presently only one of them works, so the class is usually hot.

The children are vocal, they'll complain: 'Teacher, it's hot'. 'Teacher, my hands are sweaty and I have to write all of these notes'. 'It's hot, I cannot do this', or 'I feel tired, I feel weak.'

And, then they drink a lot of water; and when they drink a lot of water, they need to use the bathroom, so there's a lot of traffic, a lot of movement. And I am not going to tell a child, 'You can't drink water', knowing how hot it is.

— Teacher

We have realized the importance of the air conditioners, but with air conditioning also comes the bill, so we are trying to balance both.

— Teacher

I immediately wake up when the A/C goes off. The heat gives me a lot of headaches.

I walk with my mini-fan everywhere I go. At different stop points, I think we should have more trees, so you can rest under the shade.

— Youth participant in the 13-17 group

I live on the concrete, so the heat is terrible. Sometimes the heat is so bad that even with the A/C on, I wake up in sweat.

— Youth participant in the 18-24 group

The last two summers it was very evident. We had a heat wave twice in the summer and that really affected how active our clients were. They were really not able to perform on their regular level. It was very difficult.

— Nursing home caregiver

I'm asthmatic, so the heat affects me. I will always be able to relate to a client that is saying that they feel overheated, because that's how I feel sometimes. We have to really keep an eye on them, because they are not always the most mobile clients and also not the most vocal.

— Nursing home caregiver

You can advise [clients to use A/C], but it doesn't mean that it will be carried out, or that it's even possible financially. Your hands are tied at times, given the situation that you would encounter in the home. They deserve better, but they just can't afford it.

— Caregiver with home-based clients

I come in the A/C for a while. But I can't afford to run it for a long time.

— Elder

The situation on the island where safety is a challenge, in my opinion, is contributing towards the discomfort of heat. You gotta make sure you close the door, because you never know who's walking up the road. Whereas in some places, that is not the case - you can leave your whole house open. Economic situations and circumstances has forced us in this generation to have to live more carefully.

— Elder

I don't think I would make it if I had to sleep with only a fan. I'm serious.

— Elder

There's a lot of places that don't have any shade at all. You're traveling in spaces where you want to take a break, but you can't take a break - there's no shade.

— Youth participant in the 18-24 group

What what we are not doing enough is informing people - the elderly and the population in general, but in particular children - about the dangers of heat and heat waves.

Hopefully out of this comes some kind of program to inform people of the dangers of the heat, because it's becoming unbearable. And not everybody has the luxury of having an air conditioner.

— Elder

I want people to acknowledge climate change. I don't know if people aren't educated or they don't care. The proof is there. But people are not acknowledging it. And because people are not acknowledging it, they don't want to take the steps necessary to help us. It's getting worse.

— Teacher