Department of Geography and Environmental Planning, Towson University, Towson, Maryland. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8897-3901.
Science Museum of Virginia, Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7542-1000.
J Emerg Manag. 2022 May-Jun;20(3):205-224. doi: 10.5055/jem.0671.
In the United States, heat kills more people on average than any other weather-related hazard, thus the mitigation of heat-related impacts remains a significant issue within emergency management and public health communities. Research indicates the use of community cooling centers as an effective way to reduce vulnerability and adverse heat impacts. Using the Commonwealth of Virginia as a study location, this research evaluates the placement of cooling centers and assesses emergency managers' understanding of heat-related issues. Surveying local emergency managers and aggregating media reports, a total of 256 cooling centers were identified across 39 localities. Vulnerable populations differed in their proximity to the identified cooling centers. While over 65 percent of Virginians live within a 15-minute drive of a cooling center, this favors wealthier community members; less than 7 percent of Virginia's population below poverty lives within this same 15-minute driveshed. Spatial variability exists with many communities not opening any cooling centers. Within city and county hazard plans, the inclusion of comprehensive heat-related hazard information remains low. The research suggests further cooperation across government and nongovernment agencies is needed to improve the resilience to heat-health concerns across Virginia.
在美国，因热导致的死亡人数平均高于其他任何与天气相关的灾害，因此，减轻与热相关的影响仍然是应急管理和公共卫生界的一个重要问题。研究表明，使用社区降温中心是减少脆弱性和不良热影响的有效方法。本研究以弗吉尼亚州为研究地点，评估了降温中心的位置，并评估了应急管理人员对与热相关问题的理解。通过对当地应急管理人员进行调查并汇总媒体报道，共确定了 39 个地点的 256 个降温中心。弱势人群与所确定的降温中心的距离存在差异。虽然超过 65%的弗吉尼亚人居住在距离降温中心 15 分钟车程内，但这有利于富裕社区的成员；生活在同一 15 分钟车程范围内的贫困人口比例不到 7%。许多社区没有开设任何降温中心，存在空间变异性。在城市和县的灾害计划中，纳入全面的与热相关的灾害信息的比例仍然很低。研究表明，需要进一步加强政府和非政府机构之间的合作，以提高弗吉尼亚州对热健康问题的适应能力。
