Disney Takes Urgent Action as Severe Heat Outbreak Threatens Cast Members’ Safety

As summer continues, the heat waves are not slowing down. From insane heat indexes to skyrocketing temperatures, Walt Disney World Resort has taken action to ensure the safety of its cast members.

Walt Disney World Resort Adds Safety Measures for Select Cast Members Amidst Heat Epidemic

Walt Disney World addresses the challenges Disney PhotoPass photographers face, who spend extensive time in direct sunlight, by introducing tiny umbrellas at some of the park’s most exposed photo locations.

Many outdoor PhotoPass sites offer little to no shade, making these umbrellas welcome as summer temperatures rise. The umbrellas were initially seen primarily at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including the Donald Duck and Daisy Duck meet-and-greet on Grand Avenue.

Photographers would be left without any shade in these areas without umbrellas. The new umbrellas, which become more effective as the sun rises, aim to provide much-needed relief. Disney has chosen Versa-Brella brand umbrellas for this initiative.

These adjustable umbrellas offer SPF protection, helping to shield photographers from the sun’s harmful rays. Florida’s temperatures, comfortable for only a few weeks each year, typically begin to climb in April, peaking in July and August. The heat usually persists through September before easing slightly in late October.

Heat Waves, Record-Shattering Records Reported Across the World

This move reflects Disney’s commitment to enhancing working conditions for its staff, ensuring their comfort and safety during the park’s busiest and hottest months.

Around Central Florida, heat has exceeded 100 degrees since May, which is nothing significant for the sunshine state, which sees high temperatures year after year. Still, on a global scale, things are heating up incorrectly. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the planet experienced its hottest day on record on Sunday, July 21.

This milestone occurred amidst a series of heat waves that continue breaking daily high-temperature records across the United States. As heat alerts remain active along the West Coast and in the northern Rocky Mountains, more records are anticipated to be set. Pensacola, Florida, set a new daily record at 98 degrees, while San Juan, Puerto Rico, tied its daily maximum temperature at 93 degrees.

In Florida, Fort Lauderdale tied a daily record for the second consecutive day at 94 degrees Fahrenheit, while Orlando set a new record at 97 degrees. Boise, Idaho, also tied its daily heat record at 93 degrees, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Las Vegas shattered its previous daily record by four degrees, reaching an all-time high of 120 degrees, reported the National Weather Service.

Several cities on the West Coast also broke daily records: Portland, Oregon, reached 100 degrees; Seattle hit 93; Flagstaff, Arizona, recorded 94; Reno, Nevada, reached 105; and both Fresno and Bakersfield, California, hit 114 degrees.

Death Valley, California, also tied its daily record of 129 degrees, just one degree shy of the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth. In California, a heat wave brought new daily records to Oakland (90 degrees) and San Jose (102 degrees).

New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tied their daily heat records in the South at 98 and 102 degrees, respectively. Tampa, Florida, tied its daily record high at 98 degrees, and Huntsville, Alabama, matched its record at 98 degrees. Other documents included Brownsville, Texas, at 99 degrees and Corpus Christi, Texas, at 98 degrees.

As the heat wave persisted, Fort Lauderdale set another daily high at 96 degrees, and Jacksonville, Florida, reached 99 degrees, breaking its previous record. Mobile, Alabama, set an all-time daily high at 98 degrees, with Orlando tying its daily record at 96 degrees. The unrelenting heat underscores the growing challenges climate change poses and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.