Fall is here, but experts say communities need a heat plan

Heat is the leading cause of climate-related deaths in the country, but knowing how deadly it is?

Heat is the leading cause of climate-related deaths in the country, but knowing how deadly it is? That’s not as clear. 

The Centers for Disease Control counted roughly 2,300 heat-related deaths last year, with more than three-fourths of them from six states that included California. A study from Texas A&M, however, projects the actual number could be four times greater, with approximately 11,000 Americans dying from extreme heat last year. 

A new pilot program in California is in the works to create a revamped heat warning system. 

“Through that, the state of California has pledged to make their information about EMS visits and all sorts of that kind of information more available to communities more quickly,” V. Kelly Turner, Associate Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA & Associate Director of the Luskin Center for Innovation, said. 

Turner says we can get a better understanding of how extreme heat is affecting us as it’s happening, which could create more immediate heat protocols to protect people at home, at schools and at work. She says communities are already trying out efforts to battle the heat  

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/fall-experts-say-communities-need-heat-plan-rcna172611

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