Planning and preparedness are critical for mitigating the impacts of extreme heat on human health. While heat-related illnesses are largely preventable, prevention requires a deep understanding of who is most vulnerable to heat and when, coupled with extensive preparation and strategic planning.
In April 2024, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) released a Heat Action Plan Toolkit—including an easy-to-use plan template and outreach resources—to equip NC counties in their preparation for extreme heat events. The toolkit was developed through a partnership between NCORR, the North Carolina State Climate Office, North Carolina Division of Public Health, and the Nicholas Institute’s Heat Policy Innovation Hub.
Each county has unique needs and circumstances, making a one-size-fits-all approach unsuitable. With that in mind, partners created a practical, adaptable heat action plan template that counties can tailor to their specific requirements and contexts.
An important aspect of any heat action plan and early warning system is knowing when to act based on heat-related health outcomes to generate an effective response. The Heat Policy Innovation Hub worked closely with the State Climate Office to develop regional, outcome-based thresholds at which counties should initiate their heat action plans and the new NC Heat Alert System will issue alerts. Hub staff modeled the thresholds on data for emergency department visits from 2007-2016 in the North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool (NC DETECT). They continue to refine these models with updated data from 2017-2022 and are incorporating seasonal variation.
The hub team also conducted a workshop in July 2023 with North Carolina agency officials and a pilot group of 10 counties to get actionable feedback that informed development of the toolkit. Local leaders helped the organizers better understand the processes that counties would be using to develop and deploy their plans, as well as gaps in resources and knowledge.
Webinar: Navigating North Carolina’s Rising Temperatures
Ahead of the toolkit’s release, Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, joined experts from across North Carolina to share insights into addressing and understanding the health risks of extreme heats. The webinar explored North Carolina's changing temperatures, the dangers of extreme heat to human health, evidence-based strategies for preventing heat-related illnesses, how communities are already preparing, and how the state government can help.
Beat the Heat: Cooling Strategies to Stay Safe
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