This week, the National Weather Service issued heat advisories and excessive heat warnings impacting over 72.6 million people across the Midwest, Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions. With extreme heat expected to persist, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is urging communities to take precautionary measures to mitigate the dangers posed by the soaring temperatures.
As the planet experiences its 12th consecutive month of record-breaking heat, nearly three dozen environmental, labor, and health organizations are urging FEMA to classify extreme high temperatures and wildfire smoke as “major disasters” akin to hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Traditionally, FEMA reserves this classification for emergencies with clear physical destruction. However, the toll of extreme heat and smoke on public health is becoming increasingly severe.
In a recent petition, the coalition highlighted that 2,300 Americans died from heat-related illnesses in 2023—a figure believed to be undercounted—while 130 million Americans were placed under heat alerts. Jean Su, director of the energy justice program at the Center for Biological Diversity and a leader of the petition, emphasized to NPR that “heat is the number one killer now of the climate emergency of any weather-related event.”
The coalition calls for an amendment to the Stafford Act, which empowers FEMA to declare disasters and provide funding to affected communities. Including extreme heat and wildfire smoke in the Act’s provisions would enable local governments to invest in essential cooling centers, air conditioning, filtration systems, and energy-efficient buildings. This amendment is crucial for communities to better prepare and protect themselves against extreme temperatures.
During a ten-day heatwave in 2022, which resulted in 395 deaths in California, FEMA rejected the state’s disaster declaration request, citing the agency’s precedent to evaluate discrete events rather than ongoing atmospheric conditions. This stance highlights the urgent need for policy adjustments in the face of increasingly frequent and severe heat waves.
In 2023, Maricopa County, Arizona, reported 645 deaths due to unprecedented summer heat. Similarly, the 2021 "heat dome" in the Pacific Northwest resulted in 650 fatalities in the U.S. and Canada, with climate change making such events 150 times more likely than in pre-industrial times. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, homeless, outdoor workers, and those without air conditioning, are at heightened risk.
Liz Shuler, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, stated, “FEMA has the power to save lives—and we urge them to use that power to meet this emergency with the urgency it deserves.”
