Millions of Americans are being impacted by extreme heat waves, which are growing in intensity, frequency, and duration due to climate change. In June, heat waves broke records across the country. Puerto Rico experienced its hottest month in more than 120 years, and Texas recorded its top 19 hottest days ever. Parts of Michigan, New York and Vermont also broke their daily temperature records. And in the first six months of 2023, there were 12 individual billion-dollar weather and climate events across the country. The situation is alarming, and it requires an all-of-society response to ensure that communities have the support they need to plan, prepare, and recover from these extreme weather events, which are costing the U.S. billions of dollars every year.
To build on investment and action already underway, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing additional measures to protect communities from extreme heat:
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will establish two virtual research centers to help communities manage and improve resilience to extreme heat. Coordinated through the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) and supported by a $5 million investment from the Inflation Reduction Act, the centers will help provide technical assistance and actionable, locally-tailored information that historically marginalized and underserved communities can use to better prepare for extreme heat.
- The White House Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Extreme Heat, together with the NIHHIS, will develop a National Heat Strategy centered on equity and environmental justice. This strategy will align with the forthcoming National Climate Resilience Framework announced by President Biden last month.
- The White House will convene Mayors and other local and Tribal officials from communities that are currently facing long duration extreme heat events to bolster preparedness. The meeting will include Federal emergency response agencies and voluntary organizations such as the American Red Cross to identify what can be done now to support vulnerable populations and discuss how the Federal government can provide support to State, local and Tribal partners to better equip communities in managing extreme heat that so many Americans are facing this summer.
- The White House convened leaders from across the nation on July 11 for a Summit on Climate Resilience and Sustainability in Affordable Housing. The Summit focused on how property owners, developers, and asset managers can leverage investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to reduce the risks posed by extreme heat and other climate impacts to low-income Americans.
Last year, the Administration launched Heat.gov, a website that provides public and state, local, and tribal decision makers with clear, timely, and science-based information to understand and reduce the health risks of extreme heat. This one-stop hub includes heat forecasts and climate outlooks, tools and tips for heat protection, and the latest information on opportunities to leverage the President’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to support communities affected by extreme heat. NIHHIS also maintains the Heat Equity mapping tool to identify disadvantaged communities that are at greatest risk from extreme heat.
This summer, NOAA launched campaigns to map extreme heat and urban heat islands in an additional 154 communities across 14 states, adding to a growing list of over 70 communities where the inequitable distribution of heat has been measured. These communities are using heat maps to direct investments, inform local planning and cooling strategies, and help secure environmental justice in low-income communities, communities of color, and historically redlined neighborhoods that face disproportionate exposure to heat hazards.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is also running a #SummerReady Campaign, which launched at the start of this summer, to build awareness of the hazards that communities face during the summer months. This is one component of the 2023 Federal Extreme Heat Safety Campaign, a coordinated effort by the IWG on Extreme Heat and NIHHIS to ensure communities are equipped with the information they need during the hottest days. In addition, FEMA’s Ready.gov provides key information, checklists, and templates to help people plan for all hazards, including extreme heat, and resources to help members of the community to protect themselves and each other when facing extreme heat.
