How do other cities deal with extreme heat?

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- While Wednesday marked the official start of summer, June 1 commemorated the meteorological start of the summer season -- and the latest sweltering heat wave in Central Texas has reaffirmed it.

How do other cities navigate extreme heat conditions?

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix consistently experiences some of the hottest temperatures nationally. Home to more than 1.6 million people, the city regularly experiences daily or near-daily triple-digit temperatures from late May through the middle of September, per AccuWeather analysis.

Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is a regional planning agency servicing the Phoenix metro area. Each year, MAG collaborates with the Heat Relief Network, nonprofit organizations and faith-based community groups to operate hydration stations, cooling centers and respite locations along with water donation sites.

A complete list of all Heat Relief Network centers is available online.

The City of Phoenix also operates its Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, a yearlong endeavor that centers around both mitigation and response efforts. This past spring, city officials released the 2023 Heat Response Plan, a follow-up to the first Heat Response Plan passed by the city in 2022.

In 2022, the program launched a new 200-bed shelter for people experiencing homelessness, which operated at full capacity throughout the summer months. The city also launched temporary cooling tent structures, aided local nonprofits through a heat relief supply distribution program and offered utility assistance to help residents cover the costs of electricity, water and gas services.

The 2023 plan includes 31 programs the city will lead or collaborate on during the summertime. Those include:

• Reusable water bottle pilot program: planned distribution of approximately 10,000 reusable aluminum water bottles
• Heat Relief Network water distribution: working with community partners on the distribution of 100,000 single-use plastic water bottles
• Shade, shelter enhancements: added shade structures, cooling tents made available for people experiencing homelessness
• Shelter expansions: 1,575 shelter beds are available to unsheltered adults, with an additional 462 shelter beds expected to be added in 2023
• City of Phoenix Mobile Water Unit: planned launch of a mobile unit that can be brought to community events and made available at outreach locations
• Cooling ordinance: City ordinance setting minimum temperature requirements for cooling systems in all single- and multi-family rental housing units
• Suspension of water shutoffs: city leaders will accommodate customers having difficulties paying off water bills

Las Vegas, Nevada

With southern Nevada experiencing one of the hottest climates in the U.S., experts developed the Southern Nevada Extreme Heat Vulnerability map to analyze which communities experience the most adverse effects from the climate.

The report found extreme heat disproportionately impacted lower-income populations and communities of color, with the report citing "decades of discriminatory housing and land use policies" nationwide as contributing to heat disparities.

Some suggestions for extreme heat mitigation efforts include:

• Expanding availability of shade structures, tree canopy coverage
• Retrofit climate-adapted bus shelters that offer cooling elements like air conditioning, hydration stations and improved canopy designs
• Addition of cooling centers in community centers, libraries in regions with "high vulnerability"
• Energy assistance programs can help "make energy bills more affordable generally through direct financial assistance," including bill discounts, reduced rates and targeted assistance programs
• Mobile cooling centers, including public transit buses, can be used during heat waves or power outages as mobile cooling stations
• Additional splash pads, spray shower installations at parks and community centers to provide relief and recreation

During dangerously hot weather, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services' 211 program offers cooling centers to members of the public. Program offerings include Cup of Hope's Mobile Cooling Center and Shower and the City of Las Vegas' Courtyard Homeless Resource Center.

New federal pilot project to study extreme heat climates in U.S.

Back in November, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a pilot project to study how to best address extreme heat. The pilot will evaluate four of the country's hottest cities: Phoenix, Las Vegas, Miami and Charleston.

The nearly $188,000 pilot will evaluate each city's heat monitoring, existing heat-related activities, planned exercises to understand federal and community stakeholders' responses and identify heat reduction strategies.

“Working hand-in-hand with partners in cities affected by extreme heat will help connect NOAA’s climate information and resources to those who need it most,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. in the November announcement. “This close collaboration and knowledge sharing is a key part of building a Climate-Ready Nation.”

Following the completion of the pilot, the project outcomes will:

• Identify areas facing the greatest heat exposure and vulnerability in each city
• Summarize heat resilience exercises "that clarify roles and responsibility and provide recommendations for improved community resilience to extreme heat"
• Evaluate possible collaborations, services to "better address heat health for disproportionately affected populations"
• Engage municipal government partners on heat health resilience
• Advance evidence supporting community-based solutions for addressing heat-related health risks