All right. Good morning, everyone. I'm Frank Velez, the executive director for the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
We're here this morning to discuss on the heat wave that we're going to be having possibly for the next 72 hours.
And at this moment, I'll introduce the Honorable Mayor Johnson to walk us through this plan.
Thank you, Executive Director Velez. Good morning, everyone.
Today we are joined by several city departments, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications,
Family and Support Services, Public Health, Buildings, the Fire Department, the Park District,
Chicago Public Libraries, Chicago Housing Authority, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities,
and of course our partners with the National Weather Service and then ComEd.
We are here today to make sure that every Chicagoan is prepared for the extreme weather that we are expected to experience this week.
And we want the people of Chicago to know that we have a number of resources that are available to them.
Chicago knows, perhaps better than any other city in America, the dangers of extreme weather and particularly heat.
In fact, 31 years ago, Chicago experienced the deadliest heat wave in the United States history.
We lost more than 700 Chicagoans.
Most of them were elderly or from vulnerable communities.
From that tragedy, the city of Chicago learned how to be more proactive, responsive to our residents.
It's why we are here today.
We're here today issuing this warning and making sure that residents are connected and most of all supported.
it. In a few moments, leaders from various city departments will speak about the specific
roles that they play in keeping our communities safe this entire week, as well as you'll hear
about the number of steps that Chicagoans can take to protect themselves. I want to
emphasize again, the extreme heat can be very dangerous. This is the time to check in on
our neighbors, especially elderly neighbors or those with disabilities or health challenges.
Let's do what Chicagoans do best. Let's look out for one another.
Also, please stay hydrated. If you can, stay inside with air conditioning on.
If you do not have air conditioning, keep your blinds closed but windows slightly open.
DFSS offers six community cooling areas across our city, and you are certainly able to get relief from the heat in any park district, library, city college, or police district location during their respective hours of operation.
DFSS street outreach workers will be in our communities this week to ensure that our unhoused Chicagoans are connected to those cooling centers.
I want to acknowledge and again thank all of the city workers, the women and men who get up every single day,
who will be and will continue to remain available to keep our city running during extreme temperatures,
and thank them, all of Chicago, when you see them, for the measures that they are taking to keep Chicagoan safe.
Whether it's extreme heat or extreme cold, our city crews always show up for the people of Chicago,
and I'm deeply grateful for their services.
In fact, I think it's important that at a time in which so much pressure is being placed on public employees that we give them a special thanks.
In closing, Chicago, please keep cool this week and most of all, look out for one another.
OEMC and the National Weather Service will work closely together this week, continuing their efforts to share alerts and resources so that we can stay informed.
So with that, please welcome back to the podium our Executive Director of OEMC, Mr. Frank Velez.
Good morning, everyone.
Good morning.
An extreme heat warning has been issued by the National Weather Center beginning today at noon through the evening of Wednesday, July 1st.
Dangerous heat and humidity levels are expected throughout the week.
A combination of heat, humidity may feel like it's 105 degrees outside for several days in a row.
OMC is working closely with the National Weather Center.
To monitor the conditions, OMC will coordinate the city agencies to respond by working with the department citywide to assist the residents and the vulnerable population.
There are cooling centers throughout the city, DFSS, Community Service Center and Senior Centers, Chicago Public Libraries, Chicago Park District locations, city colleges, and the Chicago Police Districts.
To stay hydrated during this extreme heat, we ask that you drink a lot of water, avoid alcohol, caffeine, and soda.
Try to stay inside as much as you can.
If you do not have air conditioning, keep your shades drawn and blinds closed.
But do keep your windows slightly open to get some ventilation.
Keep electrical lights off and turn them down.
wear light clothing and fitting clothing, and don't leave anyone or any pets in a parked car, even just for a few moments.
To find the New York's Cooling Center and locations of our operations, residents can contact our 311 online at our 311.chicago.gov.
Download the Chicago app or call 311.
Cooling center locations are also available on the Chicago OMC app,
along with the safety tips and preparation information, emergency alerts, and lastly, the weather information.
I wanted to stress the importance to check on the relatives, neighbors, seniors, and especially our vulnerable population.
If you're able to make contact, you can request.
If you're unable to make contact, please make contact.
please make sure that you make a request and well-being check through our 3-1-1, excuse me.
If there is any medical emergency due to heat-related illnesses, please call 9-1-1.
OMC will alert the public in conditions as it worsens.
I wanted to encourage everyone to check your families, neighbors, and particularly, like I said, our vulnerable population.
Stay connected is key to keep everyone safe.
And thank you, and now I'll turn it over to Commissioner Green from DFSS.
Good morning. Good morning. Hello again. My name is Angela Green, and I serve as the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.
At DFSS, we are committed to serving our city's most vulnerable residents from birth to seniors.
In times of extreme weather, like we are experiencing now, we make every effort to ensure our residents' safety.
When temperatures reach 90 degrees or higher, we activate our cooling centers.
These include our six community service centers and 20 senior service centers across our city.
Today, all cooling centers are activated during standard operating hours, and they will remain open through Thursday, July 2nd.
The Garfield Center will remain open until July 3rd on Friday.
We have taken additional steps of extending hours to 8 p.m. at the Garfield Community Service Center beyond our standard business hours when heat is expected to last several days as it is this week.
These are cool, safe places where the public can seek respite from heat.
All residents are welcome at our community service centers and all seniors 55 and older are welcome at our senior centers.
For information on how to stay cool in warm weather, a list of all DFSS cooling centers, locations, and other resources,
please visit chi.gov backslash DFSS Extreme Weather.
For a list of all of the 20 senior center locations, please visit chicago.gov backslash seniors.
For a list of all 287 citywide cooling facilities, please visit shi.org backslash cooling.
Robocalls went out on Friday to over 31,000 senior citizens, offering safety tips ahead of the anticipated heat and humidity.
If seniors are in need of assistance and resources, seniors or their caregivers can contact 311 or you can call our Senior Services Helpline directly at 312-744-4016.
All residents in need of assistance are encouraged to contact 311 for connection to shelter or to find the nearest cooling center.
Residents should contact 3-1-1 to report insufficient air conditioning in a building.
In addition, residents may contact 3-1-1 to request senior well-being checks or a crisis check for an unhoused neighbor.
DFSS homeless outreach providers will conduct wellness checks for individuals residing outdoors.
They'll distribute bottled water, offer connections to shelter, and assist in transporting individuals to cooling centers.
Families, parents with children seeking shelter may go to Emergency Homeless Assessment and Response Center, or EHARP,
that's located at the Salvation Army Shield of Hope at 924 North Christiana Avenue
or contact 311 to be connected to shelter.
Single adults seeking shelter may visit Shelter Placement and Resource Center or SPARC
located at 2241-2241 South Halstead Street to be connected to available shelter beds
or they can also contact 311.
We encourage all residents to use caution during this period of extreme weather and to reach out if you are in need of assistance.
We are here to help. Thank you.
And now I'll turn it over to Acting Commissioner Wagru.
Thank you and good morning. I'm Acting Commissioner Fakerti Wagau from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
We work in four key areas around all extreme weather, including extreme heat.
First, we provide public health heat-related illness guidance and data to other city agencies,
community partners, residents, and visitors.
We have information on our website, learning what to do for heat preparedness.
And we, earlier this month, released a data brief describing the heat-related illness in Chicago for last summer.
One of the things we saw is that as temperatures went up, emergency department visits went up,
which leads me to the next thing that we do, which is performing active heat-related monitoring of emergency departments,
as well as other health care providers, including dialysis centers, skilled nursing facilities, and nursing homes.
These are early warning signals, this monitoring that tells us where we are seeing issues.
We would report them here to OEMC, as well as work with our coalition partners
and our internal resources to address the issues that are happening in those sites.
We stay in close contact with acute care hospitals and other health care facilities
in the event that they experience a surge of patients to help think about how to balance patients.
We also do this work year-round, so we are prepared for extreme weather
as well as any other issue that may come up in our hospital and health care systems.
The other significant body of work is working with DFSS in All Chicago,
a local coalition that works with unhoused populations to prepare street outreach teams
and others that work with unhoused populations on how to help protect and plan for surge
in residents seeking shelter.
And just recently, earlier this month, conducted a large webinar for the providers of this
population in order to ensure that they had the tools and resources and knew about the
resources that are available for those that they serve.
These are the key areas we do much more around protecting the health of residents and visitors
in Chicago for extreme weather.
And with that, I will turn it over to Commissioner Marlene Hopkins.
Good morning.
Good morning.
I'm Marlene Hopkins, Commissioner of the Department of Buildings.
As we prepare for the extreme heat, our teams will be on the ground enforcing Chicago's cooling ordinance
and the code requirements that all facilities providing care have air conditioning
to protect our neighbors, especially our most vulnerable residents in assisted and long-term care facilities.
Under the city's cooling ordinance, buildings protected under the Federal Housing Act,
high-rises over 80 feet, and apartments with 100 or more units must provide air conditioning in all units
or have a designated air-conditioned room, indoor common area, a cooling center,
available to residents on days when the heat index exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
DOB inspectors will be working throughout the extreme weather event, partnering closely with the Department of Family Support Services to conduct well-being checks and address any air-conditioning-related complaints.
If your home is dangerously hot, please do not hesitate to contact 311 to find the nearest city cooling center, request a senior well-being check, or report a cooling violation.
To property owners and building managers, check your electrical and cooling equipment now to ensure it's in working order.
And if something goes wrong, please respond to your tenants.
Last year, DOB received and resolved 518 no air conditioning complaints.
We are only weeks in, and we are already tracking and responding to nearly 200 calls for service.
Finally, I want to echo my colleagues.
The city has established protocols, and we are ready to handle this heat as we do every year, but we all have a role to play.
Stay hydrated, check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially seniors and those with special needs.
We all have a role in keeping each other safe, and together we will get through this.
Thank you.
I now will announce Commissioner Nance Holt.
Good morning.
Good morning.
As we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July and enjoy the warm summer months, I want to remind everyone that safety must always come first.
High temperatures can quickly become dangerous, especially for older adults, young children, and individuals with medical conditions.
Those who work or spend long periods outdoors and pets.
Limit your time outside.
Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
Avoid strenuous activities during the hottest parts of the day.
Wear light-colored clothing.
And check on your family members, neighbors, and friends.
Never leave children or pets unattended in a vehicle, even for a few moments.
If you're spending time near pools, beaches, or lakes, remember that water safety saves lives.
Always supervise children around water, regardless of their swimming ability.
Wear a properly fitted life jacket when boating.
avoid alcohol while operating watercraft, and never swim alone.
Water supply is also an issue, and it's essential to CFD operations.
An opening of fire hydrant may seem harmless, but it reduces water pressure and can delay firefighting efforts.
If you spot an open hydrant, notify 311.
If you're grilling, keep your grill at least 10 feet away from your home, never use it indoors,
never leave it undetended, and make sure all flames and coals are completely extinguished before walking away.
Finally, I want to address fireworks, because it is the 4th of July.
While fireworks are a tradition for many celebrations, they can also lead to devastating injuries, fires,
and even loss of life when handled by untrained individuals.
Every year, firefighters and paramedics respond to preventable emergencies caused by consumer fireworks.
Leave the fireworks to those who are trained, licensed professionals who have the equipment, training, and safety measures to conduct these displays safely.
The members of the Chicago Fire Department are committed to protecting our city, but we need your help.
By making smart choices, looking out for one another, and celebrating responsibly, we can all enjoy a safe and memorable summer and Fourth of July.
On behalf of the men and women of the Chicago Fire Department, thank you for doing your part to keep Chicago safe.
Thank you.
And now I would like to introduce National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Bordeaux.
Thank you, Commissioner.
Good morning.
Good morning.
My name is Mike Bordeaux, a warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Romeoville.
Appreciate the opportunity to address the group this morning.
Our biggest concerns, as we've noted earlier, as Mayor Johnson and Director Velez noted,
we have an extreme heat warning that we've issued that goes into effect today.
and runs through Wednesday evening.
There's three criteria that we look at when deciding if we need an extreme heat warning for Cook County and the city of Chicago.
First is if we have one day where a heat index, which is a combination of the temperature and the humidity, reaches or exceeds 110 degrees.
If we have two consecutive days where it's between 105 and 110.
And in this case, for this particular event, if we have three consecutive days where it reaches 100 to 105 or potentially greater.
Why is that a concern for us this time around?
Well, three days. It's been fairly infrequent that we see three-day duration of heat like this.
We've seen it two times since the beginning of 2013, up until this point.
The other condition that we're concerned about is it's been relatively cool.
So a lot of us are more acclimated to cooler weather,
and this quick change to hot and humid conditions can definitely take its toll on the body.
As far as the forecast, between now and Wednesday, the forecast is basically the same just about every day.
Highs in the mid-90s, heat index values between 100 and 105.
Overnight lows are also a big concern because the body doesn't have time to recover,
and we're expecting overnight lows each night in the upper 70s to around 80 degrees in the city.
Also of note is that the heat index value overnight will probably only dip below the 90-degree mark
for six to maybe eight hours overnight.
So the recovery is minimal, and that's what takes the toll.
As we look ahead to Thursday, we're evaluating the better potential for some thunderstorms
to at least be near or possibly over the area,
So the heat forecast is a little less certain at that time, but Thursday is another possible day of excessive heat and humidity that we're watching closely.
Otherwise, more thunderstorms arrive for the end of the week, and temperatures should be mitigated just a little bit by then.
Next, I'd like to introduce ComEd with Valerie Coletti. Thank you.
Good morning.
Good morning.
I'm Valerie Coletti, Senior Vice President of Distribution Operations for ComEd.
We're preparing for an intense and potentially record-setting heat wave across northern Illinois,
with extreme heat warnings in place for much of our region.
Our top priority is always the safety of our customers, our communities, and our employees.
ComEd prepares year-round for periods of peak demand like this
through investments in smart grid technology, equipment upgrades, and vegetation management.
Ahead of this heat wave, we've enhanced our staffing around the clock,
We've staged equipment around our service territory as well.
We're monitoring system conditions 24-7 from our operations centers to respond quickly and safely to any outages.
Extreme heat can put added stress on the system due to high air conditioning use,
but we're well positioned to maintain reliability and respond if issues arise.
If customers experience an outage, you can report it by texting OUT, O-U-T, to ComEd at 26633.
You can also call 1-800-EDISON-1 or use our ComEd mobile app or ComEd.com.
Reporting outages quickly will help our crews pinpoint issues and respond to service as quick as you can.
Safety is critical during extreme weather.
Please stay far away from any downed power lines.
Always assume they're energized and report them immediately to ComEd.
We also encourage customers to take simple steps to stay cool.
You've heard some of those today while managing your energy use, like adjusting your thermostat, using fans, and keeping your blinds closed during the day.
For customers who may struggle with summer bills, financial assistance and flexible payment options are available.
We understand how challenging extreme heat can be, and we want customers to know ComEd is ready.
We're here to help, and we'll continue working around the clock to keep power flowing and our communities safe.
Thank you.
All right.
Thank you, everyone, and good morning.
At this moment, we'll open up for any Q&A.
Yes, ma'am.
Good morning, everybody.
Leah Hope, ABC7.
The mayor referred to the heat wave from 1995.
I know some of you have been in these offices and with the department since then.
Who wants to address how this type of advisory and preparation is different from those days?
I'll let the National Weather Center address that.
I also wanted to hear from the city perspective, too, because obviously the Department of OEMC is great.
So since the 1995 heat wave, and actually that heat wave prompted some changes in the criteria that we use for issuing what we call heat headlines, alerts, advisories, watches, warnings, those types of alerts, advisories, watches, warnings.
And so the current warning that we've issued,
using the Outline Tier outlined earlier,
using the Outline Tier outlined earlier,
using the Outline Tier outlined earlier,
using the Outline Tier outlined earlier,
yes, is that a little bit better?
Yes, is that a little bit weird again?
No problem, how about now?
Alright, I think we've got it.
I think we're okay.
Sure.
So the extreme heat watch and warning criteria that we use for all of Cook County, including the city, is kind of three-tiered.
And it's based on the duration and also the magnitude of the heat index in particular.
So if we have a single day of heat index of 110 or greater, we'll issue that watch and warning.
Two days, consecutive days, of between 105 and 110, or three days consecutive of 100 to 105 or greater.
And that criteria was established right after the 1995 heat wave in partnership between the National Weather Service,
the City of Chicago, and other agencies as well.
So that was a direct outcome of that event.
We want people to be weather-aware about any weather condition, but certainly heat.
Heat is kind of one of those sneaky things in a sense relative to a thunderstorm coming or a blizzard.
You don't necessarily realize the effects until it's too late, and the effects of heat are cumulative.
So day by day that goes by that you don't have that ability to recover or cool off,
the effects are worsening.
So we want people to be preparing early on.
That's why I've been broadcasting that message for quite a few days now
and certainly keep that preparation and consistent as we go over at least the next three days.
I'm going to have the fire commissioner address that question for you.
Thank you.
So most of us up here in the fire department uniforms, we actually work during that time period.
And I can say a lot has changed since then.
People recommended, like, turning on ceiling fans and things like that, which really, or cracking windows sometimes, doesn't actually make an apartment cooler.
And a lot of people got to know that being a senior, your skin is thinner, and you might not get those effects as quicker as someone who's a little younger.
So we learned so much from that.
We worked closely with, unfortunately, the medical examiner to try to figure out ways that we could do things a little differently as well,
because there were a lot of things.
People needed to check on their neighbors.
People didn't do that as much.
So the city has pushed out that message to, like, we all work together to help each other,
and that's what we continue to push out.
The fire department also conducts well-being checks, which we did at that time,
and that's when we found a lot of the issues that we did, and neighbors weren't checking on people.
So we continue to do well-being checks.
If someone calls in, we immediately go there and make a contact if we can.
so I don't know what else we like I said we've done a lot and our heart is not to
see that happen to any family member to find out you lost your loved one because
someone failed to check in on them or to ensure they had adequate adequate
conditions in their apartment or house thank you thank you thank you to both of
them and again of course the coordination is what is most significant
here when I talk about the full force of government that's what's on display I
So you have your parks, your libraries, you know, as cooling centers, DFSS coordinating with all of our departments.
Street outreach workers are available.
Those well-being checks have extended beyond senior facilities or homes where seniors live.
But the strongest aspect of what's different from when I was in high school to today is the fact that there is stronger coordination between the courts.
Hi, Say with Fox Chicago.
Two quick questions.
and i don't know who can really answer this one this is coming directly from our viewers are pets
allowed at cooling centers this time uh this week and also two
I know these are separate entities, but the leagues that, you know, offer these like volleyball leagues and stuff during the week,
do they get guidance from the National Weather Service to cancel those events this week? What is that?
Very good. Commissioner Green and then Bordeaux. Commissioner Green.
Pets are not allowed at our senior centers nor at our community centers.
However, if there are extreme cases, we do have sheltering that can happen at our SPARC Center.
We have kennels there at the SPARC location.
If someone wants to find shelter, they can also go to SPARC.
That's the location you go for shelter during the extreme heat.
So you could be there with your animal, your pet, at that location.
If someone has a kennel or somewhere else, they can place there, or a loved one,
somewhere else, they can place it, and then they can go to other sites.
so Lori Lipson deputy mayor of infrastructure if you have a pet or an animal that needs care you
can always contact animal care and control you can call 311 they'll be able to help you with
shelter food or any other supplies you need and they have resources other places as well
in terms of information from the National Weather Service our information is available there for
everybody. We work particularly closely with the public safety community whether
it's emergency management, police, fire, other community agencies all across our
23-county warning area. Many of those include park district partners so on the
public side of things we work in kind of a direct way with those entities to be
aware of these thresholds or to encourage them to plan to have their own
thresholds. Our information especially warning wise available the commercial
sector of what we call the weather enterprise so people subscribe to
whether apps, whether services, they would have access to that information as well.
So there's a variety of ways that they might have access.
I wanted to address your final question about the special events.
So we're working closely with DK's Park District and any special events that is being held in the City of Chicago,
and we're working closely with those agencies to monitor them.
Each event themselves do have a minimum requirements of having elements on there.
to assist when it comes to that, and a fire element, an EMS element, and security measures.
So we'll be monitoring that through our emergency operations center,
and they'll make that decision based on the number of attendees and how hot it gets out there.
No, currently not at this moment, but we are monitoring, working with all city agencies with that.
Can we just hold off on the shouting questions?
We'll try to get to all of them. Let's just keep them in order.
Not shouting, but just jumping it out.
Appreciate the information, everyone.
There's questions for Commissioner Nance Holt.
Fighting fires obviously is hard even when it's not 100, 105, 110 degrees or feels like outside.
Talk about how the department is helping firefighters and stations who may be responding to fire or emergency situations
and may be out for a long period of time fighting a fire.
Okay.
Thank you for that question.
Actually, we put up additional resources.
We're sending additional ambulances out.
We're putting up additional fire companies to help support the troops in the field, and also we have mandatory rehabilitation.
We've also sent out a simulcast that goes out through OEMC to all of our locations' firehouses, instructing people about hydrating, about getting fuel earlier, about rehabilitation, and about looking out for each other.
And because a lot of us are EMTs and paramedics, we also know the signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, so we're quite well versed on that.
But, yeah, it is very difficult fighting fires in this type of heat or extreme cold.
But let me tell you, my firefighters and paramedics, they do it quite well.
Thank you.
Thank you all for this information.
I just have one quick question.
I know you all have kind of talked about the additional resources in place.
I'm just a little curious about 3-1-1.
If you could just talk in a little more detail, obviously with this heat, you know, lasting several days,
and then we do have Fourth of July and the emergencies that come with that,
If you could just give a little more detail on how 3-1-1 will be staffed when people call.
Well, 3-1-1 is going to be fully staffed.
So that's based on 24-7.
We're asking anyone that has any request to please call 3-1-1.
So if your concern is that we're understaffed, absolutely not.
We're fully staffed 24-7.
Thank you. Thank you everyone. Have a great day