A long-lasting heat wave has gripped South Korea, leading the country to raise its hot weather advisory to the highest level at the beginning of August.
The significant heat led to the cancellation of the 25th World Scout Jamboree after several hundred attendees experienced heat-related illnesses before ultimately being evacuated because of an approaching tropical storm, The Guardian reported.
What happened?
The World Scout Jamboree is an international event held every four years by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, of which the Boy Scouts of America is a member.
This year's event was slated to run from Aug. 1 through 12 in Kunsan, about 100 miles outside Seoul. According to the Guardian, about 43,000 Scouts from 158 countries attended.
Unfortunately, the temperature in the area hovered around 95 degrees for the first few days of the event, which is more than hot enough to cause illness. Within the first two days of the event, over 600 people received medical care for heat-related symptoms.
The event's heat problems were just beginning. On Aug. 8, the Guardian reported that Jamboree attendees were evacuated when they were found to be in the path of Tropical Storm Khanun.
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Why is the heat such a major issue?
Extreme heat causes heat stress in the human body, especially when paired with dehydration, physical activity, and humid conditions.
No thanks to air pollution that traps heat in our Earth's atmosphere, extreme weather events like severe storms and heat waves are becoming more common.
As temperatures continue to rise around the globe, more and more people will be exposed to these conditions and may face health challenges because of it. In some cases, it can be deadly.
What's being done about these health problems?
In a press release on the third day of the event, Choi Chang-haeng, secretary general of the event's organizing committee, said that around 90 additional medical personnel were being added to the event to address the health issues caused by the heat. The organization also provided more cooling equipment, beds for more patients, and helicopters to transport severe cases to hospitals, the Guardian reported.
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When it became clear the event was in the path of a tropical storm, over 1,000 buses carried the teenage participants to hotels and student dormitories in several nearby cities.
In a statement, Ahmad Alhendawi, the secretary general of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, said: "This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges."
Others who are facing high temperatures can cool off with these five tips.
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