PG&E is giving out $400,000 in grant money to communities that can build new emergency centers to shelter people during extreme heat, cold or wildfires, otherwise known as resiliency centers.
"With the onset of climate change, our communities across our service territory and throughout the state are facing all types of new physical threats," Heather Rock, P&GE’s director of climate resilience, told KCBS Radio.
These hazards include heatwaves like the one the Bay Area and much of the West experienced last weekend, and flooding from rising sea-levels.
The company is now accepting applications from non-profits, tribes and local governments who want to build one of these physical disaster hubs or even a mobile center to help victims of the elements.
"If we can have community hubs like this that are there year round, then that allows the community to be resilient during any sort of time," Rock said. "Your cooling center can also be repurposed to be shelter for a community that might have been evacuated because of the wildfire."
Shovel-ready projects are eligible for $100,000 grants, and PG&E is also giving out $25,000 grants to begin the planning process.
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