ICYMI -- Biden-Harris Administration Continues to Focus on Addressing Extreme Heat and Reducing the Impacts to Wildfire Smoke, as the Nation Heads into Summer Months

WASHINGTON -- Last month, FEMA launched its annual #SummerReady Campaign with a series of virtual and in-person events on extreme heat and wildfires focused on understanding extreme heat, wildfire smoke impacts and defining actionable ways to combat and prepare for these increasing risks across the country.

"Ninety degrees is not a day at the beach -- it is a breaking point, one that nearly every community can expect to reach in the weeks, months and years ahead," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in his remarks at the summit. "The DHS workforce and our partners across the Administration, will continue to be there in your community's moments of need. But mitigating the impacts of such extreme heat requires all of us, across every level of government and throughout the private sector, to work together closely and to strategically invest now in preparedness and resilience."

"Extreme heat is a silent killer. It is the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States. It took the lives of more than 1,700 people last year alone -- a number that has nearly doubled since 2018. Young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, our low income or unhoused neighbors and outdoor workers are among the most at risk," said Administrator Deanne Criswell. "As we head into the summer months, it is critical that individuals and communities prepare for extreme heat. Our recent summit and ongoing national heat events focusing can help individuals and communities build local capacity to withstand tomorrow's hazards."

The #SummerReady Extreme Heat Summit on April 26 brought together federal agencies and organizations to address the effects to extreme heat on individuals, communities and infrastructures and convene with organizations focused on climate resilience. The event featured Biden-Harris Administration officials including welcoming remarks from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. FEMA Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for Resilience Victoria Salinas moderated the roundtable panel discussions examining federal, state and local initiatives to combat extreme heat risks. A second panel included emergency managers, resilience officers and other leaders on the front lines of extreme heat.

To address the Biden-Harris Administration's focus on community resilience, on April 29, the Biden-Harris Administration through FEMA hosted the first-ever Improving Individual and Community Wildfire Resilience Summit. This second event as part of the series was led by a national partnership of agencies working to address the risk, prevention and effects of wildfire smoke. This event brought together leading subject matter experts and resources from across the country to share challenges, risks, rewards and real-life actionable steps to prevent and reduce the effects of wildfires when they happen.

On May 21, FEMA's Extreme Heat series will conclude with a hybrid in-person-virtual summit hosted by FEMA Region 5 in Chicago. Building on the lessons learned from the 2023 Extreme Heat Summit, this two-day engagement will offer opportunities for discussion, networking and cross-collaboration between all levels of government and community partners. To register for this event, go to #SummerReady FEMA Extreme Heat Summit, Chicago.

Other resources mentioned during the events included FEMA's recently released "Climate Adaptation Planning: Guidance for Emergency Managers" which helps emergency managers incorporate climate adaptation into emergency management planning. FEMA also released the new draft National Resilience Guidance for a 30-day public comment period. This new guidance highlights the interdependence required to build resilience including climate, ecosystem, social, economic, infrastructure and disaster resilience. 

To better prepare for extreme event and wildfire events, individuals and communities can share social media content from FEMA's Social Media Preparedness Toolkits. For a list of the resources shared during #SummerReady Extreme Heat Summit, visit Extreme Heat | Ready.gov. and for a list of resources from the Improving Individual and Community Wildfire Resilience Summit visit Wildfires. To register for the May 21-22, 2024, event go to #SummerReady FEMA Extreme Heat Summit, Chicago.