https://www.economist.com/united-states/2022/09/01/heatwaves-kill-more-americans-than-hurricanes-tornadoes-and-floods

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[                    ]
United States | America's hot cities

Heatwaves kill more Americans than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods

Yet some local governments are still not taking extreme heat
seriously

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 24: A woman takes a sip of a drink in
Domino Park, Brooklyn with the Manhattan skyline in the background as
the sun sets during a heat wave on July 24, 2022 in the Brooklyn
borough of New York City. The five boroughs of New York City are
under a heat advisory until 8 PM on July 24th according to the US
National Weather Service. Much of the East Coast is experiencing
higher than usual temperatures as a heat wave moves through the area
forcing residents into parks, pools and beaches to escape the heat.
(Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 24:
A woman takes a sip of a drink in Domino Park, Brooklyn with the
Manhattan skyline in the background as the sun sets during a heat
wave on July 24, 2022 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The
five boroughs of New York City are under a heat advisory until 8 PM
on July 24th according to the US National Weather Service. Much of
the East Coast is experiencing higher than usual temperatures as a
heat wave moves through the area forcing residents into parks, pools
and beaches to escape the heat. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty
Images)
Sep 1st 2022 | Las Vegas
Share

In 2021 extreme heat killed more Americans than any other
weather-related disaster. People seek shelter after tornado warnings,
and leave coastal areas before a hurricane hits. Yet many ignore
extreme-heat advice. In July over 150m Americans, or nearly one in
two, were in parts of the country issuing such alerts. In the Great
Plains heat indices (a measure of how heat is felt by the body) rose
to 49degC. In the run-up to Labour Day, which this year falls on
September 5th, over 50m were in areas on alert as a sustained
heatwave was forecast in western states. Officials have urged
Californians to cut their energy use to help the state avoid rolling
blackouts.

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America's cities are struggling to deal with heat. Last year the
first "chief heat officer" was appointed in Miami-Dade County; Los
Angeles and Phoenix followed suit. Their job is to raise public
awareness of the dangers of high temperatures. People get used to
routine risks, explains Erick Bandala, a scientist at the Desert
Research Institute (dri) in Las Vegas. Mr Bandala likens attitudes to
heat to the ease with which many people drive a car. Heat, because it
feels familiar, can be a surprise killer.

High temperatures can cause deadly heatstroke. They can also
aggravate existing medical problems. Respiratory illnesses tend to
worsen, as heat causes the number of harmful pollutants to increase
in the air. For some, such conditions turn fatal. Yet heat is rarely
given as the cause. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that
as many as 1,300 deaths a year in America fall into this category.

Las Vegas--the second-fastest-warming city in America, behind only
Reno, also in Nevada--has taken steps to protect residents. When
extreme heat engulfed the city in August it set up temporary "cooling
stations", free air-conditioned public spaces that are now common in
several American cities. Las Vegas is also trying to pinpoint
specific heat problems. A project sponsored by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration is allowing the city to identify
"urban heat islands", which can be up to 11degC hotter than nearby
areas.

Poorer districts tend to be the hottest. Their residents also suffer
most in extreme heat. Many do not own air-conditioners, or cannot
afford to run them continuously. The homeless are even less able to
find relief. But cities suffer broadly in too-hot weather. Workers,
especially those outdoors, are less productive. Tourism takes a hit:
flights out of Las Vegas were cancelled last summer owing to high
temperatures.

Water shortages, common in fast-heating cities, exacerbate the
problem. Some local governments still struggle just to provide clean
water. Residents in Flint, Michigan had none for nearly three years:
their tap water contained dangerously high levels of lead. In August
1m people in the wider Detroit area were advised to boil their water
to kill bacteria. On August 29th residents of Jackson, Mississippi's
largest city, lost safe running water "indefinitely" after a storm
took out the local water-treatment facility. The heat index that day
was 39degC.

The Las Vegas valley depends on Lake Mead, America's largest
reservoir, for 90% of its water. Its levels have reached record lows
after a 23-year megadrought. In early August the un warned that the
reservoir was on the brink of reaching "dead pool" levels, the point
at which water stops flowing downstream from dams.

To provide relief while preserving water, Las Vegas has begun to
plant drought-tolerant trees, says Marco Velotta from the city's
Office of Sustainability. It aims for 60,000 by 2050. Nevada banned
ornamental grass from places such as office parks and median strips
in southern parts of the state last year. The Southern Nevada Water
Authority is offering residents $3 per square foot to rip up their
own turf and plant desert-friendly species instead.

Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city

Much more could be done to protect urbanites from extreme weather. A
study published in 2016 found that only 13% of New York's counties
had cooling centres that could be reached by public transport. For
cities with adequate water supplies, greenery is useful: trees,
grassy rooftops and parks all help to lower temperatures. Using less
concrete, brick and asphalt, which trap heat, helps too. Denver
requires some buildings to install "cool roofs", a white membrane
that reflects heat (adoption has been slow). In Phoenix, asphalt is
sprayed with a coating that lowers temperatures.

[20220903_U]

A study from First Street Foundation, a non-profit group, predicts
that an "extreme heat belt" will settle across America in about 30
years, from Louisiana to Wisconsin. It will affect over 100m people.
In August researchers at Harvard and the University of Washington
forecast that by 2100 heat exposure would increase by three to ten
times in America, among other mid-latitude regions.

People can "certainly live in these areas and adapt", says Derek
Kauneckis, a scientist at dri. But the fear is that policymakers will
wait until an extreme event occurs--when Lake Mead reaches dead-pool
levels, say--to act. "We know what's coming," says Mr Kauneckis. The
closer it gets, the harder the task will become. #

For more coverage of climate change, register for The Climate Issue,
our fortnightly newsletter, or visit our climate-change hub

For exclusive insight and reading recommendations from our
correspondents in America, sign up to Checks and Balance, our weekly
newsletter.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print
edition under the headline "Hot and not too bothered"

United States September 3rd 2022

  * Heatwaves kill more Americans than hurricanes, tornadoes and
    floods
  * Colorado's Senate race may offer Republicans an alternative to
    Trumpism
  * Booming telehealth medicine is opening access to treatment for
    mental health
  * America's most congested city may be on the verge of ending
    gridlock
  * In America, crab blood remains vital for drug- and vaccine-making
  * New York's waters are being reborn

The disunited states of AmericaThe disunited states of America

From the September 3rd 2022 edition

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