Feds would classify extreme heat as a major disaster under bipartisan Ruben Gallego bill

Rep. Ruben Gallego co-introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday that would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to classify extreme heat as a major disaster.

In doing so, areas experiencing extreme heat would have access to federal funds that would help individuals, state and local governments and some nonprofits.

Extreme heat is a major concern in Arizona, with 425 deaths attributed to heat in Maricopa County last year. This is up from 339 deaths in Arizona's most-populous county in 2021. The federal aid could help Phoenix, as well as Maricopa County, expand life-saving programs already in existence, like cooling stations.

“Every summer, we are experiencing hotter and longer heat waves in the Valley,” Gallego, D-Ariz., said in a written statement. “Despite the too often deadly effects of this heat, Arizonans are left to deal with the impacts themselves, and it is draining their resources. By adding extreme heat to the list of major disasters, my bill will help provide Arizona with the federal assistance and resources they need.”

The major disasters list includes earthquakes, tornadoes, snowstorms and hurricanes, among other natural events.

The Extreme Heat Emergency Act is the culmination of local and federal representatives working together. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego called on FEMA to consider extreme heat a major disaster in an April letter, an action she announced in her State of the City address the next day. That prompted Ruben Gallego to act, because adding extreme heat to the major disasters list that includes, among other natural events, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, would require an act of Congress.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define extreme heat as "summertime temperatures that are much hotter and/or humid than average," which varies by location.

However, there is no uniform standard of what constitutes extreme heat, as different federal agencies have different definitions of the term.

The legislation does not concretely define extreme heat. Ultimately, it would be up to FEMA to determine a qualifying event.

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., and Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, joined Gallego in introducing the bill.

This is the second piece of heat-related legislation sponsored by Gallego.

In late April, he introduced the Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act, which would provide federal aid through a competitive grant overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to deal with the impacts of extreme heat in cities and address its causes.

Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at tara.kavaler@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @kavalertara.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Feds would classify extreme heat as major disaster with Gallego bill