The NWS HeatRisk evaluation system could serve as a template for standardization for the activation of additional federal resources. The metrics of what is considered “extreme” heat must be locally relevant. Under the US Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster declaration mechanism, heat is not included among the 16 incident types delineated where there are six different categories for storm severity alone. Heat causes more deaths each year than most other natural hazards combined, yet the national emergency planning and response mechanisms lack the same resources that are dedicated to other types of extreme weather events. Heat disproportionately impacts populations and communities that already face the most risk factors. African American and American Indian residents had the highest heat-associated death rates per 100,000 people. Homelessness was a factor in 38% of all heat-associated deaths. Sixty percent of these deaths involved substance use, with 48% involving methamphetamine. This was a 5% increase from 2020 and a 70% increase from 2019. In 2021, there were 339 heat-associated deaths in Maricopa County, 178 of which occurred in Phoenix. The county government, which serves as the local public health authority, shares data that reflects the complexity of addressing the threat of extreme heat, with housing insecurity and behavioral health challenges as significant risk factors. Mortality from environmental heat is a significant challenge in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix. That’s why I led the creation of the City of Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, the first publicly funded heat office in the country, to ensure a full-time focus on heat issues and coordination inter-departmentally and with community stakeholders.Ī comprehensive approach demands strategies for immediate extreme heat response to protect our most vulnerable residents, mid-long-term strategies to make our communities cooler, and strategies to reduce our impact on the climate by pursuing net-zero emissions. Protecting the quality of life of Phoenicians requires a robust public health approach, as well as creative deployment of cooling strategies to improve our built environment. The impacts of increasing temperatures on public health and quality of life are, in turn, exacerbated by urban development patterns and compounding risk factors. Though the Valley of the Sun has been inhabited for millennia, climate change has exacerbated summer heat extremes. A balance between the sometimes competing priorities of cooling solutions and water conservation necessitates a unique and innovative framework of heat response and mitigation strategies. Located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, heat is a fact of life for Phoenicians – people are more likely to carry gloves to protect their hands from hot steering wheels in the summer than cold in the winter. Phoenix is the fifth-largest and fastest-growing big city in the US, with an ambitious vision to become the most sustainable desert city on the planet. By Kate Gallego, Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |