Luedtke Feature Story

Dried Up: Nebraska drought affects businesses both positively and negatively By: Connor Luedtke A heat wave has invaded the Nebraska area, and many citizens of Lincoln are staying inside to beat the heat. Although they receive comfort, many outdoor-dependant industries are having mixed feelings about the drought. “Tires tend to go out a lot in the summer, and this year is much worse than last,” said Abe Jwad, owner of Discount Tires. The area in a city that gets hottest is the road, and the traction of the tire creates heat when it hits the concrete. The air in the tire heats up and theresult is a blowout. “Although nobody likes having a blown tire, especially in this heat, it really helps out business,” Jwad said. Although the tire business is doing well, other automobile industries can’t say the same. Dave Lewis, manager of B&D Auto Sales, has experienced a sudden decrease in car sales. “The cars are getting so hot that no one wants to sit in them, and everyone just stays home to keep cool,” Lewis said. Up to $2000 dollars damage can be caused by the heat to cars. “Usage also increases the risk of breaking your radiator, especially in this heat,” said Lewis. Radiator breakage poses a negative effect on the vehicle’s owner, but can help out other industries. “The radiators and air conditioners of passenger cars are constantly breaking down. I haven’t seen many farmers in, so they’re probably just sitting out this season, knowing that they can’t grow much,” said Kirk Beute, owner of Dean’s NE Drive Shaft and Radiator. Most radiators are made of aluminum and plastic. They will clog up with dirt and debris from trees and stop air flow. Then the plastic tanks will crack and leak radiator fluid, resulting in a major internal overheat with up to $800 damage. “One common misconception is that vehicle air conditioners will cool down your car as long as it works, but it really only cools down a car to about 20 degrees cooler,” Beute said. Air conditioning units and radiators are two main components of a vehicle to break down due to heat, but there are many more. “I’ve noticed a lot of people coming in with broken batteries, transmissions, and cooling systems thanks to the heat,” said Randy Forman, Goodyear salesman. Constant driving can cause many systems in your car to overheat. “The only other problem that I’ve found distinctive is that the heat tends to make batteries drain quicker,” said Forman Not only are the air conditioners unreliable in cars, but also in homes and restaurants. “Personally, my own radiator overheated, and Burger King’s air conditioner broke, leaving temperatures of over 100 degrees,” said Adam Cohen, manager of Burger King. Fast food restaurants are doing particularly well due to the heat. “One out of every three customers asks for a frozen drink, and we sold out our frozen lemonades, which debuted a week ago,” said Cohen Some government vehicles aren’t suffering from the same problems as regular passenger cars, but not because of fancy upgrades. “The Postal Service vehicles don’t have air conditioning in them, so they break down a lot less, but I normally choose to walk, even in this week,” said Larry Warner, postal worker. Mail trucks are usually stripped of special comforts and are a basic vehicle for driving. “The only problem I’ve heard about with the Postal vehicles is that the gas overheats and doesn’t work properly. I have my car checked monthly to avoid having a lot of the problems people are experiencing now with their vehicles,” said Warner. “This is definitely a worse summer compared to last year, but it’s better for business,” said Jwad of Discount Tires. Many businesses are experiencing the ups and downs of harsh weather. The constant change in business proves that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.