Communications, education, engagement, and outreach play a critical role in developing a heat resilient region and shifting both individual and community level behavior to reduce risk. It is important to continue to build awareness that extreme heat is increasing in the region and that it causes health, social, economic, and other impacts. To better prepare the region for extreme heat it is important to develop a heat-health warning system and heat awareness campaigns that reach those most vulnerable to extreme heat. Most importantly, these communications must be culturally and linguistically inclusive of all the communities this region represents.

Connection and social cohesion are critical to developing heat resilient communities and positive public health outcomes. Social isolation and extreme heat exposure can collectively worsen health risks such as depression, anxiety, as well as heart and respiratory dysfunction. Therefore, increasing and strengthening localized community connection and social cohesion are crucial to becoming more resilient to heat. To achieve this as a region and as individual municipalities, it is important to invest in the power of frontline community leaders and organizations and provide resources to address extreme heat.

Many aging buildings and homes lack appropriate weatherization for both cold and hot weather, which means that occupants are spending more energy and money to heat and cool their homes. Many homes in the region lack air conditioning (AC), and even if a home does have access residents may be unable to afford to run their AC due to high electricity and utility costs. Helping people cool inside while at home, school, or work is critical to reducing illness and deaths during extreme heat events. Working to retrofit existing buildings, ensuring that new construction is energy efficient, and providing public facilities with access to cooling are some of the ways to ensure our buildings are resilient to heat.

Although climate change will increase temperatures throughout the entire Metro region, some neighborhoods already experience disproportionate exposure to extreme heat due to urban heat island effect. This plan focuses on actions to reduce urban heat island effect, as well as ways to provide cooling, shading, and heat relief in public spaces. Planting more trees in urbanized areas, ensuring shade on walkways and trails, and implementing heat resilience in future open space plans are all ways to improve temperatures in our shared outdoor spaces.

While there are many actions municipalities can take to address extreme heat, others will require and be strengthened by regional collaboration. Not all municipalities have the same resources and capacities to tackle climate resilience, and by working together we can leverage resources and expertise. Whether it’s advocating for State and Federal policies or using collective procurement and shared services to save money and staff resources, working together can be a powerful agent of change.

The region and municipalities must better prepare for extreme heat emergencies, in particular multi-day heatwaves over 90 degrees. Municipal emergency management, health, and communications departments need to work together to effectively respond to heat emergencies. A municipal level Heat Emergency Response Plan or Heat Action Plan can help prevent heat-related illness and death and reduce impacts on public safety. There is also an opportunity and need to share best practices and resources across the region, and coordinate with other agencies and emergency response providers in this space.