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Home My Public Portal AboutBeat_The_Heat_Round2_PresentationBeat the Heat Richmond Public Meeting Round 2 Draft Strategies BEAT THE HEAT | 2 AGENDA A.Program Overview B.Extreme Heat in Richmond C.Draft Strategies a.Heat Wave Response Protocol b.Public Outreach c.Home Cooling d.Community Design D.Questions BEAT THE HEAT | 3 WHAT IS BEAT THE HEAT Purpose: To create sustainable, long-term and short-term projects, programs, and educational materials that help residents cope with hot days and the public health impacts associated with the heat. Duration: 2 Years Program Partners/Funders: BEAT THE HEAT | 4 PROGRAM OVERVIEW BEAT THE HEAT | 5 RICHMOND, INDIANA CLIMATE PREDICTIONS BEAT THE HEAT | 6 HEAT WATCH CAMPAIGN ●Monday, August 23rd 2021 ●Data collection times ○6 - 7 am ○3 - 4 pm ○7 - 8 pm ●6 maps created by CAPA Strategies ○3 route maps, 3 city-wide maps 13 Volunteers 6 Routes 34,454 Measurements 91.8° Max Temperature 12.5° Temperature Differential BEAT THE HEAT | 7 RICHMOND HEAT MAPS - AVERAGE BEAT THE HEAT | 8 RICHMOND HEAT MAPS - HIGHLIGHTS https://arcg.is/maOr BEAT THE HEAT | 9 COMMUNITY INPUT How important do you think high heat is in the community? “Our only source of cooling are fans by fans [sic] placed throughout the house, but we are unable to keep them going for too long because it drives our electric bill up and we can barely afford our electric bill as it is.” 53% of survey respondents believe high heat is at least a moderate threat to their personal health “It’s (heat) something I think about all of the time and there are times when me and my daughters will get into the car and go for a ride because it’s much cooler in the car with the air conditioning on than it is in the house.” 43% of survey respondents have experienced heat exhaustion 67%53%40%37% Tree Planting Gardens and Green Space Cool Roofs Parks These things can bring down temperatures in your neighborhood. Which might you like to see more of close to home? 1 in 3 people that took the survey experience a barrier to using their home cooling system Top Two Barriers of Home Cooling Cost of Bills Cost of Repairs HEAT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ●Public Outreach: cooling centers, heat preparedness education, workshops, community engagement ●Home Cooling Strategies: household energy efficiency, utility shut-offs, home cooling assistance ●Community Design: a climate-responsive design project with additional goals for tree planting, green infrastructure, cool surfaces, public shading, water access ●Heat Wave Response Protocol: a protocol that will outline actions the City and other local entities will take when extreme heat is anticipated BEAT THE HEAT | 10 1.To increase and maintain community awareness of the public health risks associated with extreme heat 2.To increase community resilience to extreme heat through community design 3.To provide extreme heat coping resources that support those most vulnerable in our community Components Goals BEAT THE HEAT | 11 GENERAL HMS INFORMATION All of the strategies presented in this presentation are still only anticipated strategies, meaning that between now and the publishing of the Heat Management Strategy, things may change based on availability and feasibility. My hope is that everything outlined in this plan will be capable of being started this upcoming summer. Things that are not able to be started this summer will be placed in the Continuity Plan. “Anticipated Community Partners” are not definitive partners, rather groups or organizations that I believe have potential to aid in the listed strategy. BEAT THE HEAT | 12 DRAFT STRATEGIES - HEAT WAVE RESPONSE PROTOCOL Heat Wave Check-Ins Public Cooling Heat Wave Alerts Vulnerable Population Support BEAT THE HEAT | 13 Heat Wave Alerts Wayne Co. Emergency Management Wayne Co. Health Dept. Richmond Fire Department National Weather Service Local shelters that help individuals experiencing homelessness Actions Send text and email messaging to community members that sign up to Wayne County Emergency Management’s NIXLE messaging service Promote the NIXLE messaging system ●Advisory alerts come at 100°F ●Warning alerts come at 105°F Locate community organizations and stakeholders that we want to ensure are subscribed to weather alerts Anticipated Community Partners Are you signed up for these alerts? BEAT THE HEAT | 14 Heat Wave Check-Ins Anticipated Community Partners City of Richmond Paramedicine Program Local Nursing Programs & Classes Community Organizations that work with vulnerable populations Actions Host a Heat Wave Check-in Program that: Connects employees/volunteers with vulnerable individuals that sign up Provides information outlining what to talk about when checking-in on someone on your own time ●How to decide to check on someone ●Questions to ask ●Actions to take Who would you want to check in on you or a family member/friend? BEAT THE HEAT | 15 Public Cooling Wayne Co. Emergency Management Local Establishments Richmond Parks and Recreation Dept. Actions Create a calendar of local programming that takes place in air-conditioned spaces for people to visit on hot days Explore the possibility of reducing barriers to utilizing cooling from the Cordell Municipal Pool Collaborate with local establishments to create a network of cooling centers ●These will be mapped for easy access and understanding Anticipated Community Partners What would be good cooling center locations? BEAT THE HEAT | 16 Vulnerable Population Support Roseview Transit Local shelters/organizations that aid individuals experiencing homelessness Actions Create and hand out “Cool Kits” for individuals experiencing homelessness ●May include: water bottles, mister fans, heat-related illness info, electrolytes, sunscreen, and cooling towel Explore the potential of providing transportation through Roseview Transit to and from cooling centers during extreme heat events Anticipated Community Partners Should anything else be included in the “Cool Kit”? Or omitted? BEAT THE HEAT | 17 DRAFT STRATEGIES - PUBLIC OUTREACH Weather Preparedness Webpage Heat Preparedness Training Heat Preparedness Education BEAT THE HEAT | 18 Heat Preparedness Training Local organizations that serve vulnerable populations (LifeStream, Help at Home, etc.) Reid Health Wayne Co. Health Dept. Actions ●Resource Education: provide information about community resources regarding extreme heat to community groups that could benefit from having the information and sharing it within their networks. ○Healthcare providers ○Outreach workers ○Home Health Aides ●Health Education: partner with the Wayne Co. Health Dept. or Reid Health to provide trainings for community members about the signs and symptoms associated with heat-related illness ○Outdoor workers ○Older adults Anticipated Community Partners Would a training be helpful for you or anyone you know? BEAT THE HEAT | 19 Extreme Heat Webpage Wayne Co. Emergency Management Actions Create an accessible, centralized website where a plethora of information about extreme heat can be found. This information would include: ●A google drive containing boilerplate social media posts that can be shared within the community to ensure consistency ●A cooling center location map ●Home cooling assistance programs ●Any hazardous weather conditions anticipated in the coming days/weeks ●Best tips for staying cool inside/outside Anticipated Community Partners BEAT THE HEAT | 20 Extreme Heat Preparedness Education Local news sources Local organizations that will share the information Local businesses with digital signs Local schools Actions Create and share information about the signs and symptoms associated with heat-related illness, community resources for home cooling, cooling center information, and tips on how to stay cool both indoors and outdoors. Information will be shared via: ●Social media ●Local news (weather, tv, radio,etc.) ●Print materials (flyers, pamphlets, magnets, etc.) ●Tabling at events and present to city organizations ●Digital signage around the City Anticipated Community Partners What is the best way for you to receive this type of information? BEAT THE HEAT | 21 DRAFT STRATEGIES - HOME COOLING Informational One-Pagers Window Unit Program Utility Bill Assistance Exploration of Suspending Utility Shutoffs BEAT THE HEAT | 22 Informational One-Pagers Local roofing companies that can hand out information about roofing colors RP&L Actions Create pamphlets/one-pagers to go to community members containing information about: ●Weatherization ●Energy Efficiency ●Benefits of cool roof colors ●Best practices for cooling your home Anticipated Community Partners Are there any additional topics you would like covered? BEAT THE HEAT | 23 Window Unit Program Wayne Township Trustee Amigos Latino Center Actions Create a program to distribute window air conditioning units to community members that need them most ●The individuals that receive the units may be determined by the HVI or existing assistance applications, such as that present with the Wayne Township Trustee ●Provide some units to Amigos Latino Center to allocate as they see fit Anticipated Community Partners BEAT THE HEAT | 24 Utility Bill Assistance LIHEAP Wayne Township Trustee Actions Explore the potential of providing individuals with assistance paying their utility bills. This program would build upon existing utility bill assistance programs such as Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or the Wayne Township Trustee assistance program. Anticipated Community Partners Would you favor a window unit program or utility bill assistance? BEAT THE HEAT | 25 Exploration of Suspending Utility Shutoffs RP&L Actions Explore the possibility of establishing a temperature threshold at which summer utility shut offs will be suspended ●There is currently a winter temperature threshold at which utility shut offs will be suspended ●Summer temperatures are currently considered based on NWS guidance, but a threshold would ensure continuity and longevity Anticipated Community Partners BEAT THE HEAT | 26 DRAFT STRATEGIES - COMMUNITY DESIGN Tree Canopy Improvements Encouraging Environmentally Sustainable DevelopmentTree Tenders Climate Responsive Design BEAT THE HEAT | 27 City of Richmond Infrastructure and Development City of Richmond Parks and Rec. City of Richmond Street Tree Commission Actions Engage community volunteers planting and maintaining specific trees in the City to accommodate the increased capacity of additional trees. This program would be a collaborative effort between the City’s Infrastructure and Development Department, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Richmond Street Tree Commission. The location where trees will be planted will be based on the Heat Vulnerability Index. Tree Tenders Anticipated Community Partners What might be some good groups to tap into for volunteers? Would you consider volunteering? BEAT THE HEAT | 28 Purdue University Extension Actions Giveaway trees to residents of specific neighborhoods, as determined by the HVI. This giveaway would be a partnership between the BTH program and Purdue Extension. Purdue would provide educational information on where to plant the tree for the best benefit. Tree Canopy Improvements Anticipated Community Partners BEAT THE HEAT | 29 City of Richmond Department of Infrastructure and Development Actions Develop a program to encourage, incentivise, or require new commercial/multi-family developments to include green design elements, such as cooling infrastructure/amenities, and other features that contribute to the overall resilience of the community to increased occurrences of extreme weather. Encouraging Environmentally Sustainable Development Anticipated Community Partners BEAT THE HEAT | 30 Actions Pursue opportunities for public space and infrastructure improvements that will lessen the heat island effect in Richmond and provide cooling amenities to the community. The selection of project locations will be guided by the Heat Island Map and the Heat Vulnerability Index. Potential projects could include: ●Upgrade bus stops with amenities that lessen heat impacts for waiting passengers, with priority for bus stops in areas most impacted by the heat island. ●Plant trees and install cooling amenities in Richmond parks, along trails, and in areas where they support pedestrians. ●Plant trees in locations where they will shade asphalt, concrete, and other impermeable surfaces. ●Install green infrastructure in areas that are affected by the heat island. Green infrastructure includes shrubs, understory plantings, bioswales, rain gardens, flow-through planters, permeable paving, and green roofs. Climate Responsive Design Shade structures, water fountains, seating, bike racks, etc. Cooling Amenity Examples BEAT THE HEAT | 31 Are there any additional thoughts or questions? BEAT THE HEAT | 32 Vulnerable Population Supports Public Cooling Heat Wave Check-Ins Heat Wave Alerts Encouraging Environmentally Sustainable Development Tree Canopy Improvements Tree Tenders Informational One-Pagers Window Unit Program Utility Bill Assistance Exploration of Suspending Utility Shutoffs Heat Preparedness Training Extreme Heat Webpage Extreme Heat Preparedness Education Climate Responsive Design Beat the Heat Richmond Public Meeting - Round 2 Lucy Mellen | lmellen@richmondindiana.gov