For communities facing extreme summer heat, HUD hopes to provide cool relief

Sheri Walsh
·2 min read
UPI
The federal government announced new actions Wednesday to help all communities throughout the United States fight extreme heat this summer. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development unveiled a website and webinar with resources and guidance to prepare and respond to "extreme heat which affects all of us." File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

April 23 (UPI) -- As part of Earth Week, the federal government has announced new actions to help all communities throughout the United States fight extreme heat this summer.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development unveiled its plan Wednesday that provides heat-coping information, resources and guidance through a new website, technical products and a stakeholder briefing as the agency promised more actions to come.

"Extreme heat affects all of us. Historically, underserved communities are even more vulnerable," HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman said in a statement emailed to UPI. "At HUD, our priority is to increase awareness about the dangers of extreme heat and support local and state leaders as we all respond to this climate hazard."

HUD's Extreme Heat website will guide communities on ways to help residents prepare and respond to extreme heat events, along with information on climate resilience projects.

The department produced two technical assistance products, an Extreme Heat Quick Guide and a webinar on Extreme Heat and Cold, which "highlights the disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups and the strain on essential services and infrastructure."

The webinar will "equip stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to assess risks, implement mitigation measures, and access financial resources to enhance community resilience," according to HUD, as the department also announced plans to hold an extreme heat stakeholder briefing on May 23.

The actions announced Wednesday are part of the Biden administration's Earth Week initiatives to combat rising heat in underserved communities.

HUD is working with more than 20 federal agencies to build awareness about extreme heat, through the National Integrated Heat Health Information System, in the hopes of preventing heat-related illnesses and death.

Last week, HUD joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for its eighth annual Urban Heat Island mapping campaign, targeting 14 U.S. communities to determine heat inequities and provide cooling relief.

According to NOAA, summer 2023 was the hottest on record and extreme heat is the number one weather-related cause of death in the United States. The heat mapping campaign will target those areas with more pavement and fewer trees, which can raise temperatures by up to 20 degrees.

On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a new initiative to help Americans protect their health during extreme heat, with specific information for certain risk groups, including pregnant women, children with asthma and people over the age of 65.

The CDC is also partnering with the National Weather Service to produce an experimental color-numeric-based index that will provide a forecasted risk of extreme heat effects.