WASHINGTON -- On the first day of summer, and for the first time in FEMA history, the agency’s Ready Campaign announced its "#SummerReady" campaign to help promote preparedness and resilience against extreme heat events throughout the Summer. The announcement includes the launch of FEMA’s official #SummerReady website, which provides extreme heat safety tips for individuals, as well as helpful information and graphics for media and other stakeholders.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated that, in 2022, the United States recorded the third hottest summer ever. This follows the 2021 season, which tied records for the hottest summer in the country and climate models predict that extreme heat will become more frequent and intense in years ahead.
The #SummerReady campaign seeks to help mitigate this risk by reaching targeted populations and boosting awareness of the impacts of extreme heat, while highlighting straightforward steps individuals and families can take to prepare. This campaign will not only offer easy-to-understand messaging and safety tips for the public but will also provide government stakeholders, emergency managers and members of the media with FEMA resources they can use to communicate these risks to residents and mitigate the impacts of extreme heat events in their communities.
“As we enter the summer months, the National Weather Service has already issued more than 100 heat advisories and warnings throughout portions of the country including record temperatures in Puerto Rico and Texas,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “We know extreme heat temperatures lead to more heat-related illnesses and deaths, especially among already vulnerable populations. The #SummerReady campaign is another example of FEMA leaning forward to ensure that communities, and the leaders that serve them, have the resources and information needed to protect against extreme heat and other hazards.”
Ahead of the #SummerReady official kick-off, last month, FEMA’s Region 5 offices in Chicago hosted the first annual heat summit, where representatives from all the agency’s 10 regions, along with partners from several federal agencies, discussed the potential impacts of extreme heat and how to reduce them beforehand. The agency will host additional regional events to engage local stakeholders on extreme heat and promote cross-sector, cross-government coordination and message alignment, with a special focus on regions that are not accustomed to warmer weather.
The #SummerReady campaign follows the Biden-Harris Administration’s recent announcement highlighting historic investments to build community climate resilience nationwide. To further promote the administration’s efforts in building resilient infrastructure throughout the nation, FEMA will host webinars during the next several weeks and months to help emergency managers complete successful pre-disaster mitigation grants applications to build resilience against hazards, including extreme heat events. The website will be updated with future webinars as they become available.