When heatwaves hammered US cities this summer, one of the hottest in recorded history, some city governments had plans in place to protect their most at-risk residents.
Philadelphia’s plan sent homeless outreach teams to distribute water and bring people to cooling centers. Austin’s plan suspended electricity shutoffs for low-income or fixed-income customers. Chicago’s plan dispatched building inspectors to monitor shelters and other buildings without air conditioning.
But many other major US cities, including Dallas and Jacksonville, did not have detailed plans. When asked by the Guardian to provide their extreme heat response plans, 24 of the 30 largest US cities (or their counties) provided a written response plan, but only 10 had policies to target vulnerable populations.