The term 'heatwave' gets thrown about during Perth's warmer months when temperatures climb into uncomfortable territory, but the city has actually escaped the past three summers without one.
"Various communities prepare very well for some of the other disasters, for example in the Kimberley and the Pilbara people are well prepared for cyclones … it's a similar situation in bushfire-prone areas," he said.
"We probably don't plan as well for heatwaves and part of that is we feel that, 'hey, we're West Australians, we're fine, the heat is not going to hurt us, we're used to the heat'."Heatwaves kill far more people than other natural disasters. ABC Emergency has a checklist of things you can do to be ready."But the more insidious effect is on people who have chronic disease, or the very young and the very old who have limited ability to adjust.
"So we see more [people with] renal disease, heart disease, respiratory disease and they end up in hospital and a number of those may unfortunately die." But it is not just those with chronic diseases and the young and old who are vulnerable. The list is extensive. "There are other groups that include pregnant women, people who work outdoors, some of the visitors and new arrivals to Australia who may not be used to our climate and who may make poor decisions around being out in the middle of the day or exercising during the day," Dr Robertson said.
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