On Tuesday, the Biden Administration announced that it would launch a new website, Heat.gov, to provide precise, timely, and science-based information on understanding and reducing health risks of extreme heat.
The website will be a part of an interagency, the National Integrated Heat and Health Information System. Through it, the website will be a one-stop hub on heat and health for the nation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The move has been called a priority for President Biden's National Climate Task Force and its interagency working group on extreme heat.
Over the past three decades, the number one cause of weather-related death was extreme heat, beating out the likes of tornadoes, extreme cold, and even hurricanes, with over 700 people dying each year.
Heat.gov will also look to assist those who are disproportionately affected by heat. For example, according to the CDC, Native American and Black communities and those living in urban core or very rural neighborhoods are affected more than other groups.
But the website is only the first step, as the Biden administration is also investing in programs to build a resilient infrastructure to help communities combat extreme heat and the consequences of hot temperatures, including wildfires and drought.
Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor, discussed the website's launch, sharing that the issue is a "silent killer."
"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 said.
Now the website will offer maps, information from across disciplines, and data that will help communities make informed decisions on a daily basis and plan ahead for future extreme weather.
In partnership with NOAA, the website also includes forecasts from the agency's National Weather Service. One feature using the forecasts shows those who are in danger in the country due to extreme conditions.
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