The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released new resources for local community leaders this week to help in the face of extreme, record-breaking heat battering at least 17 states so far.
“As extreme heat, worsened by the climate crisis, threatens the lives, safety, and security of communities everywhere, the Biden-Harris Administration is working across all levels of government to ensure communities have resources to protect the public and our nation’s critical infrastructure,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said.
Roughly 130 million Americans are now under heat alerts and 2022 was labeled the third hottest summer ever by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). With such events becoming more commonplace as the effects of climate change worsen the federal agencies will distribute a resource guide created with input from the DHS Climate Change Action Group (CCAG). The resource called for the creation of extreme temperature response plans, conducting threat and hazard identification and risk assessments, adapting to future conditions and adopting/enforcing natural hazard-resistant building codes.
The agencies will also host a virtual extreme heat summit on Aug. 28 to further discuss such steps with local officials.
“There are sensible, constructive measures that communities can take to mitigate the impacts of extreme heat,” Mayorkas said. “By sharing information, planning ahead with concrete steps, understanding available federal resources, and working together to help the most vulnerable people in their communities, Americans can prepare, adapt, and respond to these weather-related threats to the health, safety, and security of our communities.”
According to governmental figures, heat remains the top weather-related cause of death in the United States. Its effects can also cripple critical infrastructure over the short and long-term, causing roads to buckle or weaken and increasing demands on electrical grids and power lines. For this reason, DHS and FEMA already offer various resources to help communities manage extreme heat, such as federal grants and tips on relevant risks.
These latest moves by DHS and FEMA are part of their ongoing #SummerReady campaign.