The


U.S.
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development
(HUD)
on
Wednesday
announced
new
initiatives
to
bolster
community
protections
against
severe
heat,
an
issue
that
has
become
more
common
nationwide.

“For
the
first
time
in
its
history,
HUD
published
a
webpage
on

Extreme
Heat
that
serves
as
a
hub
highlighting
actions
communities
can
take
to
prepare
and
respond
to
extreme
heat
events
and
available
resources
to
help
fund
climate
resilience
projects,”
the
department
said.

HUD
also
shared
two
new
technical
assistance
products.
These
include
an
“extreme
heat
quick
guide”
designed
to
“help
communities
plan
for
extreme
heat
and
identify
mitigation
strategies,”
and
a

dedicated
webinar
on
the
topic
of
extreme
heat
and
cold.
HUD
will
also
hold
a
specialized
stakeholder
briefing
about
extreme
heat
on
May
23.

“Extreme
heat
affects
all
of
us.
Historically
underserved
communities
are
even
more
vulnerable,”
Adrianne
Todman,
HUD
acting
secretary,
said
in
a
statement.
“At
HUD,
our
priority
is
to
increase
awareness
about
the
dangers
of
extreme
heat
and
support
local
and
state
leaders
as
we
all
respond
to
this
climate
hazard.”

More
than
20
federal
agencies
are
partnering
on
a
shared

National
Integrated
Heat
Health
Information
System
to
“build
awareness
about
the
dangers
of
extreme
heat
and
develop
solutions
to
reduce
the
negative
impacts
of
extreme
heat
on
communities
throughout
the
country,”
the
department
said.

Extreme
heat
wrought
by
climate
change
has
started
to
have
a
more
pronounced
impact
on
the
housing
market.
Last
summer,
data
from

Redfin
indicated
that
U.S.
counties
most
prone
to

flooding
saw

384,000
more
people
move
into
them
than
out
of
them
over
the
past
two
years,
a
103%
increase
during
that
time.

Similar
trends
are
being
observed
in
areas
prone
to

wildfires
and

excessive
heat
as
home
prices
have
remained
generally
elevated
well
after
the
pandemic-driven
homebuyer
boom.

There
are
other
impacts
stemming
from
climate
risk,
particularly
on
home
insurance,
as
noted
this
week
by
Redfin
chief
economist

Daryl
Fairweather
at
The
Gathering
by

HousingWire.

“For
a
long
time,
I
would
talk
about
a
changing
climate
and
people
would
say
‘That’s
a
problem
for
the
future,’”
Fairweather
said.
“But
now,
we’re
seeing
insurance
costs
going
up
and
people
are
deciding
where
to
live
based
on
the
climate.
It’s
becoming
a
more
and
more
important
issue
in
the
housing
market.”

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