Extreme heat disaster funding could save thousands of lives annually, yet Democratic lawmakers face an uphill battle as they propose legislation to classify deadly heat waves as major disasters eligible for federal emergency resources.
The Critical Gap in Disaster Response Legislation
The devastating impact of extreme heat continues to grow across America, yet a critical gap in federal disaster response leaves communities without essential resources during life-threatening heat waves. Despite extreme heat being responsible for more annual deaths than any other weather-related hazard in the United States, it remains conspicuously absent from the list of federally recognized natural disasters eligible for extreme heat disaster funding.
Under the current Stafford Act, which governs federal disaster response, sixteen types of natural disasters qualify for emergency federal funding—but extreme heat is not among them. This legislative oversight has created a dangerous situation where the deadliest weather phenomenon receives the least coordinated federal response.
“This act is the act that governs disasters, and listed within it is nowhere can we see extreme heat,” explains Jean Sue, Energy Justice Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “What’s happened is that extreme heat, since the Stafford Act was created, has become the number one weather-related killer across the United States.”
This glaring omission has prompted Democratic lawmakers from states most affected by extreme heat to propose legislation that would finally classify extreme heat as a major disaster, opening access to critical extreme heat disaster funding for vulnerable communities.
The Growing Deadly Threat
The urgency for extreme heat disaster funding has intensified as climate change drives increasingly dangerous temperature extremes across the country. Just last month, nearly half of the United States experienced dangerous and record-breaking temperatures, highlighting the growing threat.
“The climate emergency continues to drive up the heat every year,” Sue emphasizes. “Last year, we had record extreme heat which topped the year before, and this year we’re also expected to top it again.”
Unlike other natural disasters that cause visible property damage, extreme heat kills silently and disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, outdoor workers, and low-income communities that lack access to cooling resources. Without extreme heat disaster funding, these communities remain at elevated risk during increasingly frequent and severe heat waves.
The Proposed Legislative Solution
The new legislation, co-sponsored by Nevada Senator Jackie Rosen and lawmakers from Texas and Arizona—three states at the epicenter of America’s extreme heat crisis—aims to amend the Stafford Act to include extreme heat as a major disaster. This classification would unlock vital extreme heat disaster funding for states and local governments.
“The point is that there’s nowhere in the federal government right now, much less at the state level, that actually has a comprehensive plan to tackle this number one weather-related killer,” Sue explains. “The whole point of this bill is to get much-necessary federal funding down from the president to states.”
If passed, the legislation would enable communities to request funds for critical heat mitigation measures, including:
- Establishing more cooling centers, particularly in underserved areas
- Providing air conditioning to vulnerable households
- Installing rooftop solar panels and energy storage systems
- Implementing other life-saving heat mitigation infrastructure
Previous Attempts and Current Challenges
This isn’t the first attempt to secure extreme heat disaster funding through federal legislation. A similar bill was proposed and ultimately blocked in 2024, highlighting the political challenges facing this critical public health initiative.
“This is the same exact legislation as before, and it’s coming from three Congress members who are really at the heart of extreme heat disaster here in the United States—Nevada, Texas, and Arizona,” Sue notes.
The renewed push comes as climate data continues to show worsening heat trends, creating greater urgency for a coordinated federal response through dedicated extreme heat disaster funding.
Opposing Arguments and Counterpoints
Critics of the proposed legislation argue that the Stafford Act is primarily designed to address infrastructure damage caused by natural disasters, while heat-related needs can be addressed through existing hazard mitigation grants.
However, advocates for extreme heat disaster funding counter that this perspective fails to recognize the unique challenges and deadliness of extreme heat events, which often don’t cause visible property damage but take a tremendous human toll.
“FEMA absolutely has the ability to build their entire infrastructure… to build the types of cooling centers, air conditioning, rooftop solar, and storage,” Sue argues. “They are accustomed to only addressing property damage. But now in this state of a climate emergency, death from extreme heat doesn’t come in the form of property damage. It comes in the form of lives.”
The Role of FEMA and State Governments
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plays a central role in disaster response, but without explicit classification of extreme heat as a disaster, its resources cannot be fully mobilized to address this growing threat.
Advocates for extreme heat disaster funding point out that FEMA’s infrastructure and expertise could be leveraged to save countless lives during heat emergencies if given the proper mandate and resources. However, they also note that state governments don’t need to wait for federal action.
“State governments need to step up and get that funding and build that infrastructure on the ground, too,” Sue emphasizes. “They absolutely have the ability to do that. They do not need to rely on the federal government if it’s not willing to help.”
The Human Cost of Inaction
The consequences of inadequate extreme heat disaster funding are measured in human lives. According to health experts, extreme heat causes more deaths annually than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and lightning combined, yet receives far less attention and resources.
These deaths are largely preventable with proper infrastructure, community planning, and emergency response—all of which require dedicated funding. The proposed legislation aims to address this disconnect between the scale of the threat and the resources allocated to combat it.
Most concerning is that extreme heat disproportionately affects vulnerable populations:
- Elderly individuals with limited mobility
- People with chronic health conditions
- Low-income families without access to air conditioning
- Outdoor workers exposed to dangerous conditions
- Homeless individuals without access to shelter
For these groups, access to extreme heat disaster funding could literally mean the difference between life and death during severe heat waves.
Climate Change and the Growing Need
The push for extreme heat disaster funding comes against the backdrop of accelerating climate change, which is making extreme heat events more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting.
Scientists project that without significant action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, extreme heat will continue to worsen in the coming decades, making the need for dedicated disaster funding even more critical.
“The important part about this is the climate emergency continues to drive up the heat every year,” Sue notes, highlighting the escalating nature of the threat.
This growing crisis demands both immediate action to protect vulnerable communities through extreme heat disaster funding and longer-term strategies to address the root causes of climate change.
Looking Forward: Solutions and Strategies
While the legislative battle for extreme heat disaster funding continues, communities across the country are developing innovative approaches to heat mitigation:
- Urban forestry initiatives to increase shade and reduce urban heat islands
- Cool roof and pavement programs to lower ambient temperatures
- Public cooling centers in accessible locations
- Utility assistance programs for vulnerable households
- Heat action plans with clear emergency protocols
However, these local efforts often lack the scale and resources that federal extreme heat disaster funding could provide. The proposed legislation would help standardize and expand these life-saving measures nationwide.
As climate change continues to intensify extreme heat events, the need for comprehensive federal support will only grow more urgent. The push to classify extreme heat as a major disaster represents a critical step toward protecting vulnerable communities from this increasingly deadly threat.
Hiring? Post Jobs in Climate Resilience and Emergency Management
Looking to build a team that can help communities prepare for and respond to extreme heat events? The growing focus on extreme heat disaster funding is driving demand for professionals skilled in climate adaptation, emergency management, and public health. Post your job openings free on WhatJobs and connect with mission-driven candidates ready to make a difference.
Post Your Job Listing Now →FAQ About Extreme Heat Disaster Funding
Why isn’t extreme heat currently classified as a major disaster for federal funding?
The absence of extreme heat disaster funding in federal disaster classifications is largely historical. When the Stafford Act was created to govern federal disaster response, extreme heat wasn’t recognized as the deadly threat it has become today. The act was primarily designed to address disasters that cause visible property damage, such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. However, extreme heat has since emerged as the leading weather-related killer in the United States, causing more deaths annually than any other natural disaster. Despite this reality, the federal government has never declared an extreme heat emergency, leaving a critical gap in extreme heat disaster funding that the proposed legislation aims to address. This oversight has left communities without access to vital federal resources during life-threatening heat waves, even as climate change makes these events more frequent and severe.
What specific resources would extreme heat disaster funding provide to communities?
If extreme heat were classified as a major disaster, extreme heat disaster funding would enable states and local governments to access federal resources for a range of critical heat mitigation measures. These include establishing more cooling centers in underserved areas, providing air conditioning to vulnerable households, installing rooftop solar panels and energy storage systems to ensure power during grid failures, and implementing other life-saving heat infrastructure. According to Jean Sue of the Center for Biological Diversity, “The whole point of this bill is to get much-necessary federal funding down from the president to states so that they can do very common sense things that are not happening on the ground right now.” These resources are particularly crucial for low-income communities and other vulnerable populations that lack access to cooling during dangerous heat waves. The extreme heat disaster funding would help standardize and expand these life-saving measures nationwide.
How does extreme heat compare to other natural disasters in terms of impact?
While extreme heat doesn’t cause the visible destruction associated with hurricanes or wildfires, its human toll exceeds that of any other weather-related hazard. According to health experts, extreme heat causes more deaths annually than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and lightning combined. Despite this devastating impact, it receives far less attention and extreme heat disaster funding than other natural disasters. As Jean Sue explains, “Death from extreme heat doesn’t come in the form of property damage. It comes in the form of lives.” The silent nature of heat-related deaths—which often occur in private homes and affect society’s most vulnerable—has contributed to the lack of public awareness and political urgency surrounding extreme heat disaster funding. Additionally, extreme heat disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including the elderly, low-income communities, outdoor workers, and those with chronic health conditions, making it not just a public health crisis but also an environmental justice issue.
What are critics saying about the proposed extreme heat disaster funding legislation?
Critics of the proposed extreme heat disaster funding legislation argue that the Stafford Act is primarily designed to address infrastructure damage caused by natural disasters, while heat-related needs can be addressed through existing hazard mitigation grants. They contend that expanding the definition of major disasters to include extreme heat could dilute resources needed for other emergencies and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) already has mechanisms to address heat-related hazards. Some also question whether federal intervention is necessary, suggesting that state and local governments should handle heat mitigation through their own resources and planning. However, advocates counter that these arguments fail to recognize the unique challenges and deadliness of extreme heat events. They point out that without explicit classification as a disaster, extreme heat disaster funding remains inadequate compared to the scale of the threat, leaving vulnerable communities at risk during increasingly frequent and severe heat waves.
How is climate change affecting the need for extreme heat disaster funding?
Climate change is dramatically intensifying the need for extreme heat disaster funding as extreme heat events become more frequent, more intense, and longer-lasting. As Jean Sue notes, “The climate emergency continues to drive up the heat every year. Last year, we had record extreme heat which topped the year before, and this year we’re also expected to top it again.” Scientists project that without significant action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, extreme heat will continue to worsen in the coming decades, making dedicated disaster funding increasingly critical. The growing crisis demands both immediate action to protect vulnerable communities through extreme heat disaster funding and longer-term strategies to address the root causes of climate change. As temperatures continue to rise globally, the human and economic costs of extreme heat will escalate, making federal support for adaptation and mitigation measures not just a public health necessity but also a fiscal imperative.
