City of El Paso Inviting Public to Extreme Heat and Health Workshop

The City of El Paso is bringing in experts to gain a better understanding of vulnerabilities to extreme heat in our region with a workshop on Wednesday, July 13, 2016.

The City of El Paso Office of Resilience and Sustainability, in coordination with Arizona State University and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is hosting the Rio Grande/Bravo Extreme Heat and Health Workshop which aims at improving community resilience to extreme heat resulting in improved health and decreased regional vulnerability. El Paso was selected by NOAA as one of five U.S. cities from which to launch the initiative.

With hotter temperatures projected for our region, it is critical to develop more robust systems for dealing with the public health risks associated with extreme heat. Addressing these risks includes everything from improving monitoring and forecasting of heat waves to identifying parts of our community that are the most vulnerable. In addition, the group is working on programs that can better communicate risk and develop greater collaboration between local, regional and national groups.

The workshop will tap into the knowledge and experience of participants exchanging ideas about management challenges, coordination, research needs, and future opportunities. The information generated will be integrated into a NOAA initiative focused on developing a National Integrated Heat-Health Information System (NIHHIS).