Keep Durham Cool: Development and Evaluation of Potential Heat Action Plan for Extreme Heat in Durham County

Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the US, creating a growing public health challenge as heat-related hospital visits and deaths increase in the summer months. The built environment and available amenities greatly impact how heat is experienced on the individual and neighborhood level, and efforts to address the impacts of extreme heat have been emerging at various levels of government. Durham County, NC is interested in establishing a heat action plan to prepare for and help mitigate the impacts of extreme heat on residents. The aim of this master’s project is to develop and evaluate a potential heat action plan for Durham County. To this end, this project sought to address what the strengths and weaknesses of the selected actions are in terms of mitigating heat risk and impacts for populations who are most vulnerable to heat. Using the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency’s (NCORR) 2024 Heat Action Plan Toolkit as a foundational source and building from existing initiatives in the County and case studies in other municipalities, I developed a draft heat action plan with a set of potential heat actions. The actions were evaluated through criteria from FEMA’s 2023 Local Mitigation Handbook designed to assist in prioritizing mitigation strategies. Through this project, eight potential actions were developed and evaluated. The draft heat action plan has strengths in that it involves actions to address the unequal exposure and vulnerability to heat across the county. Weaknesses of the actions are that some hinge on training, individual responsibility, and communications for the benefits to come to fruition, which can lead to varying levels of impacts. Overall, the development and evaluation of heat actions provide groundwork and insight for Durham County to continue working towards mitigating adverse impacts of extreme heat on residents.