"CHICAGO — Natural disasters can be dramatic — barreling hurricanes, building-toppling tornadoes — but heat is more deadly.
Chicago learned that the hard way in 1995.
That July, a weeklong heat wave that hit 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) killed more than 700 people. Most of the deaths occurred in poor and majority Black neighborhoods, where many elderly or isolated people suffered without proper ventilation or air conditioning. Power outages from an overwhelmed grid made it all worse.
Initially slow to react, Chicago has since developed emergency heat response plans that include a massive push to alert the public and then connect the most vulnerable to the help they may need. Other cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix now have “chief heat officers” to coordinate planning and response for dangerous heat. Around the world, cities and countries have adopted similar measures."
Melina Walling and Isabella O’Malley report for the Associated Press July 9, 2023.
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