Are American Cities Prepared for Heat Emergencies?
2023-07-14
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1Planet Earth's recent record-breaking heat is causing concern for scientists and others worldwide.
2In the United States, experts question if American cities are safe for their populations during heat waves.
3A heat wave is a period of higher-than-normal heat that lasts for many days in a row.
4In 1995, a heat wave in Chicago killed more than 700 people.
5Most of the deaths were in poor and majority Black neighborhoods.
6Many homes in those areas were without air cooling equipment.
7And, the city's electric power grid was unable to keep up with air cooling demands as well.
8Electricity outages resulted.
9Temperatures stayed close to 40 degrees Celsius for a week.
10Chicago has made major changes since then.
11New operations include a huge public communication and relocation effort.
12They tell people when hot weather is coming and move them to safer, cooler living spaces when necessary.
13Other cities in the country have established similar operations, including Los Angeles, California and Miami, Florida.
14A local "chief heat officer" leads planning and response efforts in those cities and others.
15But some scientists and city planning experts worry that existing measures and policies are not enough.
16Eric Klinenberg is a social sciences professor at New York University who wrote a book about Chicago's deadly heat wave.
17"I don't know a single city that is truly prepared for the worst-case scenario," he said.
18In Chicago, city leaders worked to identify people who are in danger on very hot days.
19Those people get text messages and other warnings when hot weather is coming.
20But a system that works in one place may not work in another, says anthropologist Bharat Venkat.
21He directs the Heat Lab program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
22Venkat said many places suffer from what is called "thermal inequality."
23He said cities should spend money to protect their workers and people.
24That may sound costly, but doing nothing will be even more costly, he said.
25Cities in France, Germany and India all have new systems to keep people safe during heat waves.
26The changes came after heat events caused thousands of deaths in recent years.
27Ladd Keith is a professor at the University of Arizona.
28He said the east coast city of Baltimore, Maryland, has a good heat warning system.
29Others such as Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix, Arizona do, too.
30But he said, "there are still over 19,000 cities and towns without them."
31Inkyu Han is a health scientist at Temple University in Philadelphia.
32He said cities should make low-cost cooling units available to people who do not have much money.
33But there are simple things to do that can lower the temperature of cities, he added.
34Cities can plant trees and establish more green spaces, for example, especially in the areas where poor people live.
35Han is one of a number of people who discussed the problems low-earning people face during very hot days.
36Kate Moretti is another. She is an emergency doctor in the New England state of Rhode Island.
37The Atlantic Ocean helps keep summer days from getting too hot there.
38But when it does get hot, she said, people who are older, poor, work outside or those who are homeless "put a strain on the system."
39The hospitals see more people than they can handle for heat-related problems.
40Robin Bachin is a history professor at the University of Miami.
41Bachin said laws keep utility companies from shutting off heat on very cold days.
42However, when it is hot, there are not similar requirements.
43For example, she noted that there are not often rules requiring owners provide air cooling systems for renters.
44She said the lack of protection from heat was extremely dangerous.
45Klinenberg said throughout history, the heat waves in the U.S. have been short.
46But there could be problems in the future if it gets hotter and out-of-date electrical systems cannot keep up.
47He noted that poor areas were most affected by Chicago's heat wave in 1995.
48Noboru Nakamura is a professor of atmospheric sciences who studies extreme weather at the University of Chicago.
49He listed the city's improvements since 1995 but he said "resource inequity is something you can't really get rid of overnight.
50And we still have the same issue that we had back then, today."
51He called it a "big, big, big unsolved problem."
52I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Planet Earth's recent record-breaking heat is causing concern for scientists and others worldwide. In the United States, experts question if American cities are safe for their populations during heat waves. 2A heat wave is a period of higher-than-normal heat that lasts for many days in a row. 3In 1995, a heat wave in Chicago killed more than 700 people. Most of the deaths were in poor and majority Black neighborhoods. Many homes in those areas were without air cooling equipment. 4And, the city's electric power grid was unable to keep up with air cooling demands as well. Electricity outages resulted. Temperatures stayed close to 40 degrees Celsius for a week. 5Chicago has made major changes since then. New operations include a huge public communication and relocation effort. They tell people when hot weather is coming and move them to safer, cooler living spaces when necessary. 6Other cities in the country have established similar operations, including Los Angeles, California and Miami, Florida. A local "chief heat officer" leads planning and response efforts in those cities and others. 7But some scientists and city planning experts worry that existing measures and policies are not enough. 8Eric Klinenberg is a social sciences professor at New York University who wrote a book about Chicago's deadly heat wave. 9"I don't know a single city that is truly prepared for the worst-case scenario," he said. 10In Chicago, city leaders worked to identify people who are in danger on very hot days. Those people get text messages and other warnings when hot weather is coming. 11But a system that works in one place may not work in another, says anthropologist Bharat Venkat. He directs the Heat Lab program at the University of California, Los Angeles. 12Venkat said many places suffer from what is called "thermal inequality." He said cities should spend money to protect their workers and people. That may sound costly, but doing nothing will be even more costly, he said. 13Cities in France, Germany and India all have new systems to keep people safe during heat waves. The changes came after heat events caused thousands of deaths in recent years. 14Ladd Keith is a professor at the University of Arizona. He said the east coast city of Baltimore, Maryland, has a good heat warning system. Others such as Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix, Arizona do, too. But he said, "there are still over 19,000 cities and towns without them." 15Inkyu Han is a health scientist at Temple University in Philadelphia. He said cities should make low-cost cooling units available to people who do not have much money. But there are simple things to do that can lower the temperature of cities, he added. Cities can plant trees and establish more green spaces, for example, especially in the areas where poor people live. 16Han is one of a number of people who discussed the problems low-earning people face during very hot days. 17Kate Moretti is another. She is an emergency doctor in the New England state of Rhode Island. The Atlantic Ocean helps keep summer days from getting too hot there. But when it does get hot, she said, people who are older, poor, work outside or those who are homeless "put a strain on the system." The hospitals see more people than they can handle for heat-related problems. 18Robin Bachin is a history professor at the University of Miami. Bachin said laws keep utility companies from shutting off heat on very cold days. 19However, when it is hot, there are not similar requirements. For example, she noted that there are not often rules requiring owners provide air cooling systems for renters. 20She said the lack of protection from heat was extremely dangerous. 21Klinenberg said throughout history, the heat waves in the U.S. have been short. But there could be problems in the future if it gets hotter and out-of-date electrical systems cannot keep up. 22He noted that poor areas were most affected by Chicago's heat wave in 1995. 23Noboru Nakamura is a professor of atmospheric sciences who studies extreme weather at the University of Chicago. He listed the city's improvements since 1995 but he said "resource inequity is something you can't really get rid of overnight. And we still have the same issue that we had back then, today." He called it a "big, big, big unsolved problem." 24I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo. 25Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by The Associated Press. 26____________________________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28grid -n. the network of power centers and power lines that deliver electricity to homes and buildings 29relocation -n. the act of moving something from one place to another 30scenario -n. a description of what might happen 31anthropologist -n. a person who studies humans and human culture 32thermal -adj. having to do with heat 33unit -n. one item of a product 34strain -n. stress or something that is hard to manage 35utility -n. a company that provides essential services such as power, water and gas 36renter -n. a person who lives in a building or home owned by someone else 37inequity -adj. describing something that is not balanced or fair 38get rid of -v. to eliminate or end 39____________________________________________________________________ 40We want to hear from you. What is your city doing to help people when it is very hot? 41Here is how our comment system works: 42Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.