LIHEAP AND EXTREME HEAT

How the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is helping people stay safe, healthy, and prepared to combat heat stress Purpose The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS), Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Office of Community Services (OCS) recognize the importance of providing high-quality, accessible, and timely information for our partners and policy makers to help drive insights and seek better health and outcomes for all. This dashboard provides information on the progression of extreme heat over time, the health impacts of extreme heat, and visualizations on how the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is able to alleviate extreme heat stress for vulnerable populations, including older adults, young children, and people with disabilities. On this site, you can explore data visualizations on extreme heat days over time, extreme health related hospitalizations, the impact LIHEAP has on reducing energy burden and more. What is Extreme Heat? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines extreme heat as summertime temperatures that are much hotter and/or humid than average. Because some places are hotter than others, this depends on what is considered average for a particular location and a particular time of year. Humid and muggy conditions can make it seem hotter than it really is. Heat continues to be the leading weather-related cause of death. According to the CDC, an average of approximately 700 deaths and 9,200 hospitalizations occur each year due to extreme heat. Many of these heat related health incidents occurred within socially vulnerable and at-risk populations. According to a report released by CDC on July 16, 2021, the mean daily number of heat-related illness emergency department visits from June 25-30, 2021 in Region 10 was 69 times higher than that during the same days in 2019. The most affected groups were males and people age 75 and older. Region 10 includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. What is Heat Stress? Heat stress occurs when the body cannot get rid of excess heat. When this happens, the body's core temperature rises and the heart rate increases. As the body continues to store heat, the person begins to lose concentration and has difficulty focusing on a task, may become irritable or sick, and often loses the desire to drink. The next stage is most often fainting and even death if the person is not cooled down. What is an Extreme Heat Event? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines an extreme heat event as a long period (2 to 3 days) of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The increase in frequency and time of these heat events is a major cause for concern as extreme heat is expected to continue threatening the wellbeing of families and vulnerable populations. Extreme heat-related deaths significantly outnumber those caused by any other weather-related disaster. Low-income households are more likely to suffer from extreme heat and other natural disasters, creating financial and health concerns that impact individuals' and families' wellbeing. Historic Temperature Trends Map Instructions: This map automatically moves through the years between 1979-2019. To pause the map, select the pause/play button in the upper left-hand corner of the dashboard. To change the year displayed on the map, select a year from the dropdown menu to the right of the pause/play button. To further explore the map, you can select  +/- in the top left corner to zoom in or out. Select the 'about data' box in the top right to view the additional data details, and hover your mouse over areas on the map to view the number of days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Map Details: This map of U.S. counties represents the historical temperature and heat index with the count (number) of extreme heat days (days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit) from 1979 - 2019. Counties in dark red experienced  the greatest increase in the number of extreme heat days, as compared to counties in light red. Regional trends in extreme heat days are apparent in the map. In particular, the Southern Great Plains and Southeast regions of the U.S. have experienced the greatest increases in the number of extreme heat days over the 40-year period, as have some areas of the Southwest, Northeast, and Midwest regions. Many of the states in the Western U.S., as well as those in the Northern Great Plains, region have not experienced significant changes in extreme heat days. Time series map by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Stay Cool with LIHEAP Changes to our climate mean that our communities need to prepare for the health risks of higher temperatures. The videos below provide information on how LIHEAP can help families be prepared during extreme heat and the impacts of climate change. LIHEAP Cooling Assistance Program Summer can mean dangerously high heat for many people. It can also mean households have to make the difficult choice between paying for home cooling or paying for family essentials, such as food or medical care. Watch this video to learn how the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can help you pay your energy bills and keep cool and safe this summer. Washington State The Washington spotlight video highlights how the state has used LIHEAP funds, including ARP funds, to implement a cooling assistance program to help mitigate the impact of extreme heat. The program provides LIHEAP-eligible households with air conditioning units and hardship benefits to help pay for the electricity needed to run the units. Extreme Heat and Health Extreme heat can cause a variety of health issues from heat stroke, to cardiovascular disease and even death. Organizations and government entities focusing on public health and safety have outlined strategies aimed at protecting the public from high temperatures. The use of cooling centers, a cool site, or airconditioned building designated as a safe location during extreme heat is a common strategy. Dashboard Instructions: To select a state to explore, use the 'pick a state' selector on the left side of the page. To return to the national view, select that same state again. To select a year to explore, use the 'pick a year' selector on the top right of the dashboard. Dashboard Details: The dashboard below includes information from the CDC from 2016-2021 on extreme heat related deaths, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. The dashboard includes both national and state level data. The HHS is in the process of updating this data set, once complete this tool will be updated to include that information. For more details on how the CDC gathered this data, please visit  https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/tracking/about.htm Explore Additional Resources Office of Community ServicesAdministration for Children and Families U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 330 C Street SW 5th Floor West Washington, DC 20201 Phone Number: 202-401-9333 Follow us on Twitter @OCS_ACFgov © 2022 The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Community ServicesAdministration for Children and Families U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 330 C Street SW 5th Floor West Washington, DC 20201 Phone Number: 202-401-9333 Follow us on Twitter @OCS_ACFgov Need Help with Energy Bills

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