Author name: Kristina Kiest

In 2005, the SDR identified a set of challenges that, when addressed, would reduce community vulnerability to disasters and thus create a more disaster-resilient Nation. These were set forth in the report, Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction, which formulated a ten-year strategy for disaster reduction through science and technology. The SDR subsequently developed a Heat Wave Implementation Plan released in 2008 that contained priority science and technology interagency strategic actions to improve the Nation’s capacity to mitigate, respond to, and recover from extreme heat events. An ad hoc SDR task force was spun up in 2016 to assess agency progress on addressing the 17 short-, medium-, and long-term strategic actions contained in the SDR Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction Heat Wave Implementation Plan.

Michelle Hawkins of NOAA’s National Weather Service shares tips for staying safe in extreme heat with The Weather Channel as the FEMA PrepareAthon’s Extreme Heat Week begins. She discusses heat watches, warning, and advisories as well as tips for protecting vulnerable populations (including National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Where’s Baby campaign) and signs and symptoms of heat stress. For more information on extreme heat and tools and trainings to reduce risk, visit the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) at http://climate.gov/nihhis.