White House unveils HEAT.gov to help address record-breaking temperatures
A group of federal agencies launched Heat.gov to share real-time data on extreme heat conditions and response with each other, state and local officials, and the public.
The website contains information from the National Integrated Health Health Information System (NIHHIS), an interagency partnership developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which also includes extreme heat preparedness and response resources.
Heat.gov is one in a series of actions the Biden administration is taking to address record-breaking temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit due to climate change, sending tens of thousands of Americans to emergency rooms and increasing health problems for seniors, children and workers.
“Heat related illnesses and death are largely preventable with proper planning, education and action,” reads the Heat.gov homepage. “Heat.gov serves as the premier source of heat and health information for the nation to reduce the health, economic and infrastructural impacts of extreme heat.”
The website’s first visual depicts the number of people in the U.S. under a National Weather Service extreme heat advisory, watch or warning during the last 30 days. Below that is the current national heat forecast, CDC Heat & Health Tracker and The Climate Explorer derived from global climate models of coming decades.
Meanwhile the Department of Health and Human Services, through the White House’s new Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, launched a Climate and Health Outlook to inform health professionals of climate events in the next 30 to 60 days and improve response.
