WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The Biden administration announced Monday the launch of a new website, Heat.gov, through the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS).
The website is intended to provide public officials with "clear, timely and science-based information" to help combat and reduce the health risks of extreme heat, according to a press release by the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. It offers maps, data and other information to better help communities prepare and plan for periods of extreme heat.
“President Biden has directed us to respond to the extreme heat gripping the nation. Extreme heat is a silent killer, yet it affects more Americans than any other weather emergency– particularly our nation’s most vulnerable,” White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy said in the release.
President Joe Biden's administration has also invested in programs to build infrastructure that will help communities withstand extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and other major heat hazards.
“Heat.gov is an exciting new and accessible website designed to help everyone become engaged with their community, their state-level government, and federal partners, to take actions that can reduce the deadly health impacts of extreme heat," McCarthy added.
According to the CDC, extreme heat has been the greatest weather-related cause of death in the United States for the last 30 years. Heat-related deaths also disproportionately affect communities of color.
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