The Biden Administration through the interagency National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) launched Heat.gov.
The website will provide clear, timely and science-based information regarding the health risks of extreme heat, reported NOAA. Heat.gov is a priority of President Biden’s National Climate Task Force and its Interagency Working Group on Extreme Heat.
According to NOAA, "extreme heat has been the greatest weather-related cause of death in the U.S. for the past 30 years — more than hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding or extreme cold — killing over 700 people per year. In addition, the heat crisis does not affect people equally. Extreme heat mortality disproportionately affects Native American and Black communities, as well as those living in the urban core or very rural neighborhoods, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."
However, the funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Biden Administration has already invested in programs that helps communities withstand extreme heat, drought, wildfires and other heat-related hazards. According to NOAA, July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, as summers are getting hotter and therefore more hazardous.
There are also goals to assist families with household energy costs such as summer cooling.
“President Biden has directed us to respond to the extreme heat gripping the nation. Extreme heat is a silent killer, yet it affects more Americans than any other weather emergency — particularly our nation’s most vulnerable,” said Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor in the NOAA news release. “Heat.gov is an exciting new and accessible website designed to help everyone become engaged with their community, their state-level government, and federal partners, to take actions that can reduce the deadly health impacts of extreme heat.”
Heat.gov offers maps, data and information from across disciplines inside and outside of government. The goal is to allow communities to make informed decisions regarding heat conditions on a daily basis and also allow planning weeks and months for extreme heat events.
The website also provides heat information from across federal agencies, including: heat forecasts from NOAA's National Weather Service; the new national Climate and Health Outlook by the Department of Health and Human Services; the CDC’s Heat and Health Tracker; and heat planning and preparedness guides. Also included is Information on: NIHHIS programs; events and news articles; heat and health program funding opportunities; and information to help at-risk communities.
Heat.gov is a collaboration of NIHHIS’ federal government partners, including NOAA, CDC, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Heat.gov was created in collaboration with Esri, a geographic information system company. The website offers: localized heat information; links to heat tools across the federal government; and an interactive map of the NOAA and NIHHIS urban heat island mapping campaigns. The site supports open data access, enabling communities and planners to integrate federal heat information into their own decision-making.
The White House reported that The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is announcing $2.3 billion in funding for its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program for Fiscal Year 2022. The funding will focus on resilience for heat waves, drought, wildfires, flood, hurricanes, and other hazards.
Additional comments:
“President Biden has directed us to respond to the extreme heat gripping the nation. Extreme heat is a silent killer, yet it affects more Americans than any other weather emergency — particularly our nation’s most vulnerable,” said Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor in the NOAA news release. “Heat.gov is an exciting new and accessible website designed to help everyone become engaged with their community, their state-level government, and federal partners, to take actions that can reduce the deadly health impacts of extreme heat.”
“Addressing the climate crisis, including extreme heat, has been a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, and at the Department of Commerce, we have been working to use every tool at our disposal,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Heat.gov leverages innovation and data to help deliver timely and accurate information to the public. As extreme heat conditions impact millions of Americans, this site will help ensure that all our communities, including our most vulnerable, have access to the data, tools and resources they need to mitigate heat impacts.”
“For far too long, our most vulnerable populations are the ones who bear the brunt of extreme heat,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who established the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity at HHS, reported NOAA. “Heat.gov provides real tools and resources that can help people who are suffering. This is one more important step the Administration is taking to address climate change’s impact on our health and our lives.”
“Extreme heat is a global health threat, and due to human-caused climate change, it’s getting worse,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., reported NOAA. “Reducing the risks of extreme heat in our country requires a whole-of-government effort, which is why NOAA has led a large federal coalition to create, launch and manage Heat.gov. This website will improve public health and help us build a Climate-Ready Nation.”
“Currently, few health systems have heat action plans and heat exposure is rarely integrated into real-time clinical health decision-making for patients,” said Cecilia Sorensen, M.D., associate professor and director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University, reported NOAA. “With more frequent, intense and longer lasting heat waves, there is an urgent need for increased health system preparedness to meet the growing burden of heat-related illness. These new tools will allow health systems easy access to the information they need to promote climate-readiness and heat-resiliency, ultimately improving patient and community health outcomes while reducing system-wide impacts and improving the efficiency of health systems.”
