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Source: Nadia Ramlagan, NC PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE, 3/25/21 North Carolina scientists and residents are teaming up this summer to better understand which neighborhoods in the Raleigh-Durham area are the hottest so-called urban heat islands.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, heat kills
more people in the U.S. than any other weather-related phenomenon, and the
combination of heat and humidity can cause heat exhaustion and stroke.
Max Cawley, program manager for Public Engagement with Science at the Museum of
Life and Science in Durham, explained miles of pavement, asphalt and concrete
create a health risk, which is expected to worsen in the coming decade.
"We believe based off of what we've seen assessing a lot of other mapping
projects, that Black and Brown communities, and poor communities in particular,
are likely much more vulnerable to heat events," Cawley stated. "But
again, that's something that we're specifically going to get some data on through
a project like this."
He noted people with asthma and other chronic diseases, and people living in
poverty who can't pay for continual indoor cooling, are at greatest risk from
living in urban heat islands.
Cawley expects the community science initiative to begin in June or July, and
will outline the project at this year's NC BREATHE
Conference, being held virtually April 6 and 7.
Kathie Dello, director of the North Carolina State Climate Office at North
Carolina State University, pointed out inner cities and rural areas can
experience up to ten- to fifteen-degree temperature differences.
"Think about when you're wearing a black T-shirt on a hot day versus a
white T-shirt; you get much hotter with the black T-shirt," Dello
remarked. "In cities we have roads, we have buildings, we have much more
of these darker surfaces that trap and emit heat out, so it really can heat up
the area."
She added as communities think about moving people out of harm's way or
adapting to prolonged periods of extreme heat, local officials and public
health departments first have to understand where to direct resources.
"Where are the neighborhoods that need the most help? Is it cooling
shelters? Is it tree planting? Is it park access to help cool down the
neighborhood?" Dello asked. "We're trying to figure out where truly
the literal hot spots are."
According to state
data, more than 3,600 residents landed in hospital emergency rooms
for heat-related illness in 2019.
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