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Beat the Heat: Community Perspectives Around Extreme Heat in Spokane, WA, Post-2021 Northwest Heat Dome
Get PDFExtreme heat events are the leading weather-related causes of death in the United States. Despite heat familiarity in eastern Washington, at least 19 heat-related deaths occurred in Spokane County during the 2021 “heat dome” in the Northwest. To assess heat concerns among vulnerable groups and identify cooling access barriers, surveys were conducted with Spokane County residents from July to November 2022. Descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression characterized perceptions of heat, access to home cooling, and interest in public cooling for vulnerable populations. A total of 1477 adults completed the survey. Demographics were comparable to the Spokane County US Census: 22.8% were 65+ years old, 83.1% non-Hispanic White, 30.2% had elderly at home, 29.6% had children at home, 40.9% had a disability or chronic illness at home, and 26.8% were renters. Nearly half perceived a mild-to-no threat of heat to personal well-being. Households with disabilities/medical illness, history of seeking medical attention due to heat, no AC, or renters having significantly greater heat concerns. Among those without AC, 66.9% preferred to stay home on very hot days and 44.4% would not consider using a public cooling center. Barriers to using public cooling included accessibility, entertainment, infection risk, and personal safety. Effective communication and intervention strategies should be tailored to the needs and perceptions of at-risk groups. Multimodal approaches are needed to address strong preferences to stay home and obstacles for utilizing public cooling spaces
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