The City of Oklahoma City and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hosted an interagency exercise in August to better understand heat, heat risk and the populations most at risk when a prolonged heat wave occurs in OKC.

“We have seen how a prolonged heat wave can negatively impact Oklahoma City. These events can be particularly deadly for marginalized people such as those experiencing homelessness, outdoor workers, communities of color, children, older adults and people with chronic conditions,” OKC Emergency Management Police Lt. David Storer said. “This exercise was designed to help us better plan for and find ways to reduce the effects of a sustained heat event.”

The exercise focused on possible short and long-term solutions to a prolonged heat event, including:

• Better understand populations that would be most affected by a heat wave.
• Electric companies continue to strengthen the grid to support the high demand for electricity.
• Ways organizations can communicate heat risks.
• Recommend solutions to avoid heat risks for people, organizations and the community as a whole.

According to experts from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, June 2023 was record hot for some parts of the U.S., while other locations experienced severe weather and poor air quality, The year so far has also brought 12 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters to the nation — including tornado outbreaks, extreme flooding and a winter storm.

The exercise involved NOAA, National Weather Service, Oklahoma City’s Office of Sustainability, Oklahoma City Emergency Management, Oklahoma City Risk Management, the University of Oklahoma, OKCPS, Oklahoma County Emergency Management, City Rescue Mission, RestoreOKC, the Regional Medical Response System, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City-County Health Department, Oklahoma Climatology Survey, Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Oklahoma State Dept. of Health and OG&E.

According to the World Health Organization, heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths and can exacerbate underlying illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, asthma and increase the risk of the transmission of infectious diseases.

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Media Contact

Kristy Yager
(405) 297-2550

kristy.yager@okc.gov