Chicago Politics

Extreme Heat Watch Press Conference 6.20.25

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Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Extreme Heat Watch press conference.

Transcript

0:00 Today, Chicago will be experiencing our first heat wave of the year. The National Weather Center in Chicago has issued an extreme heat warning in effect from Saturday, June 21st, through Monday, June 23rd. We want to make sure our residents are informed the extreme dangers heat can cause and the City of Chicago resources that are available to you. OMC is working directly with the National Weather Center 24-7 to monitor the weather events and will alert residents if conditions worsen.

0:30 OMC will continue to issue the weather alerts via our Notify Chicago, and we encourage everyone to download the Chicago OMC app for safety tips, weather updates, and emergency notices. When temperatures climb to extreme levels, it's important for us to check our relatives, neighbors, and especially our seniors. You can request a well-being check by downloading the Chicago CHI 311 app, visit 311.chicago.gov, or call 311 directly.

1:03 However, if you are experiencing a medical emergency due to heat-related incidences, please do not hesitate and call 911. Orange Sea is coordinating with city departments and sister agencies to ensure services and resources are available in response to the heat. including cooling centers and these include the Department of Family Services and Service Centers Chicago Public Libraries Chicago Park District locations and City Colleges facilities during operational hours you can call

1:37 311 or visit like I said 311 chicago.gov to locate a cooling center in your area over the next four days and throughout the summer it is important to follow these tips to beat the heat stay hydrated drink plenty of water stay inside if you don't have air conditioning keep shades drawn and windows slightly open keep lights off or turned off minimize the use of your oven and stove wear light cotton clothing take cool baths and showers

2:13 and do not leave any of your pets in a parking vehicle even for a few minutes it's important to check on each other staying connected is key thank you and be safe and I'd like to introduce Mayor Brandon Johnson Thank You Executive Director Velez and good morning everyone I'm grateful to be here with many of our city leaders all prepared to demonstrate the full

2:45 force of government over the course of these next several days. Thank you to our commissioners, public health and parks, libraries, buildings. Grateful that we have the Chicago Fire Department with us here as well. First and foremost, I just want to make sure that every Chicagoan understands the danger of this moment, and particularly when we have extreme heat. But I also want to make sure that the people of Chicago know that we have a number of resources that are available for all of Chicago.

3:20 You know, Chicago knows better than any other city in America the danger of extreme weather, particularly extreme heat. In fact, we are one month away from the 30-year anniversary of the 1995 heat wave, the deadliest heat wave in American history. We lost more than 700 Chicagoans. Most of them were the elderly and the poor. That tragedy is what led to the creation of this very entity, this building, this department that we are standing in today.

3:55 It really challenged the city to recognize the danger of extreme heat so that we never see a tragedy like that occur again. So I'm going to let the various leaders in the department speak to their expertise about all the steps that Chicagoans need to take to be safe during the next few days. But I do want to emphasize how serious extreme heat and weather can be. I also want to take the opportunity to thank all of our city workers across all of our departments and sister agencies.

4:26 Whether it's extremely hot or humid or if it's freezing and windy, Our city workers always show up for the people of Chicago, and I'm so grateful that they are hardworking and demonstrate a great deal of sacrifice for the well-being of others. So I just think it's appropriate as we celebrate these workers and how they show up for all of Chicago during some of the most extreme circumstances, can we just give them a nice warm round of applause, though, for all of our city workers.

5:00 Thank you again. So as Executive Director Velez said, over the next few days, make sure that we check in on our loved ones and our neighbors, especially our seniors and those with health conditions, individuals with disabilities. We do have cooling locations all over the city. We have street outreach workers that are available as well to connect the unhoused Chicagoans with those resources. The full force of government is here today and will continue to support Chicagoans who need resources and support.

5:30 We'll continue to share alerts and resources as we experience these heat warnings, so please stay informed as well as engaged. And now with that, I want to pass it to our acting commissioner for DFSS, Maura McCauley, who will talk to us more about the resources that DFSS will be deploying. Maura? We can clap for her. Thank you, Mayor.

6:03 Good morning. Good morning. My name is Maura McCauley, and I serve as the acting commissioner at the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. Every year, the city of Chicago experiences some periods of intense heat, which can become dangerous for some sensitive and vulnerable populations in particular. Throughout the coming days, DFSS will provide assistance to Chicago residents by activating our cooling centers, continuing to offer transportation to shelter, mobilizing our street outreach partners,

6:35 and by responding to well-being checks for our seniors and unhoused neighbors. Part of the city's network of 288 facilities available for cooling includes the six DFSS community service centers. DFSS activates cooling areas in our six community service centers when temperatures are expected to reach 90 degrees or higher. When activated, our centers are open for cooling Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. anyone seeking respite from the heat is welcome staff will support anyone who's

7:09 in need of shelter who is at any of these cooling centers with connections to shelter by calling 3-1-1 one of these facilities our Garfield Community Service Center located at 10 South Kedzie will be open for expanded hours this weekend from night from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday Additionally, a drop-in center for unhoused residents operated by Franciscan Outreach, which is co-located at the Garfield Center, will provide drop-in services and case management services from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and

7:43 Sunday. Residents can visit the Department of Family and Support Services webpage at chicago.gov forward slash FSS. There we have the addresses of our cooling centers and multilingual flyers with cooling center information and hot weather safety tips available in English Spanish Arabic Chinese French Korean Polish and Urdu there is also a network of city facilities such as police stations park districts and Chicago system of libraries that are

8:15 available to residents providing a space where people can go to find relief from the heat this weekend and early next week DFSS remains committed to supporting unhoused residents during the heat. During the summer months, DFSS works with a network of more than 50 delegate agencies to provide emergency shelter and ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness in our communities remain safe. Over the next several days, including Saturday and Sunday, multiple outreach teams will be visiting encampments encouraging individuals to

8:49 consider shelter or cooling facilities educating them around heat symptoms providing water hygiene supplies and performing well-being checks they're also available to transport individuals to shelter or cooling facilities the shelter placement and resource center SPARC which is located at 2241 South Halstead Street is available to support single individuals seeking shelter placement. Anyone seeking shelter placement at SPARC should call 773-526-3707 ahead to ensure

9:24 availability. That phone number again is 773-526-3707. The Salvation Army Emergency Assessment and Resource Center or EHARC is located at 924 North Christiana and is available to provide shelter placement for families with children under 18 years of age these facilities are not cooling centers but can assist with shelter placement services and again anyone in need of shelter can also call 311 from any

9:55 location in the city for transportation to shelter please remember it is not illegal to be homeless or live on the street and dfss cannot force anyone to go indoors or accept shelter but all of our efforts are geared towards making people as safe as possible and allowing them to make the choices for themselves for our elderly elderly residents dfss also activates cooling centers at the 21 dfss senior centers when the heat temperatures reach

10:25 90 degrees or higher these locations are open Monday through Friday from 830 to 430 p.m. with Renaissance court open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. visit chicago.gov forward slash seniors or call 311 for the senior center locations I want to encourage our seniors to stay home if you can and avoid potentially dangerous heat conditions please pick up your prescriptions and any emergency supplies including food as soon as possible if you experience a life-threatening

10:57 emergency during the hot weather call 9-1-1 our home-delivered meal drivers are committed to ensuring 9200 seniors receive their meals during the anticipated heat drivers will also be on the lookout for seniors who are in distress while delivering meals during the week DFS s in partnership with OEMC schedules robocalls to approximately 37,000 seniors, informing them to take safety precautions in response to the heat and to call the city for help if needed.

11:30 Again, anyone experiencing a heat emergency should call 911. I encourage everyone to check on your friends, families, and neighbors to make sure that they are okay. A simple phone call, text, or stopping by goes a long way. If you know of a senior whose health, safety, or general well-being is in question due to extreme heat or other circumstances, please call 311 to request a senior well-being check, and one of our teams will be dispatched for that well-being check.

12:01 Again, to request shelter placement, to find the nearest cooling centers, and for well-being checks for seniors and unhoused neighbors, please call 311. Now I'd like to pass it to Dr. Ige, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. I am going to be more specific. We have looked at the data from the 1995 heat wave up until last year,

12:37 And we have identified a few patterns in heat-related illnesses and heat-related death that I want folks to be aware of. 2024 was the hottest year on record for Chicago. So it is serious when it is hot and humid. Heat and humidity are a dangerous combination.

13:07 The mayor mentioned that in 1995 heat wave, over 700 deaths occurred. Over the last three years, we have recorded 485 heat-related deaths in Chicago and more than 700 heat-related emergency department visits. Now, who are the folks who die from heat? and who are the folks who get into emergency as a result of heat.

13:40 Number one, men. We have more men dying and more men having emergency from heat-related illness than any other demographic. Number two, people who are already sick, those who already have a medical illness, you are even more vulnerable to heat. It doesn't occur at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It starts to occur from 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

14:14 Number three, those who are 65 and older. The good news is that in Chicago, 89% of Chicagoans have air conditioning. Fans do not work when it is hot and humid. Your body does not cool down. Air conditioning is the best way to cool down. But there are 11% of Chicagoans who do not have air conditioning.

14:45 So what can you do? If you're outside, go indoors. But if you're indoors and do not have air conditioning, there are many cooling centers to go to. Again, remember... Closed windows, indoors without air conditioning can be extremely dangerous, especially for men, those who are 65 and older and those who are already sick. Last year, only 3% of those who, of Chicagoans, went to a cooling center.

15:19 There are hundreds of places across the city where there's air conditioning, where people can cool down, but only 3% of people went there. Now, for those who don't want to go to a cooling center, there are a few tips to keep you cool. I will make it simple. Cool your collar. Your neck, your wrists, armpits, groin areas are the fastest ways to cool down. Ice packs in towel apply to your neck, apply to your wrist, apply to your armpit, helps to cool you down.

15:56 We would like to encourage those who don't have air conditioning to please utilize any of our many cooling centers, supermarkets, churches, public libraries. It is important to cool down. It is going to be hot. It is going to be humid. And so illnesses start to occur at around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. We also want people to be aware that there are differences geographically in Chicago because of the urban heat effect.

16:33 There are four zip codes in the city of Chicago where we have seen more heat-related emergencies than in other locations because of the urban heat effect. If you live in 60620, 60623, 60628, and 60651, there are many different words in these zip codes. Please, we want you to take a moment to check on anyone who's a man, who's 65 plus, who has a medical condition,

17:09 and who doesn't have air conditioning to encourage them to cool down using some of these tips or use one of our cooling centers. Our hope is that as we head into this year, we have less emergencies related to heat and less deaths than in previous years. We also want folks to know the signs of an emergency. If you start to feel confused, if you start to have headaches, if you start to vomit, please call 911.

17:43 We want folks to get help as soon as possible. Taking a cold shower can also help to cool people down. And we hope that everyone will look out for their neighbors, friends, and families. Stay safe, Chicago, and thank you. And now I will call on Brett Borchardt, Senior Meteorologist from the National Weather Service of Chicago. Good morning, everyone.

18:13 Good morning. My name is Brett Borchardt. I'm a Senior Meteorologist for the National Weather Service. As we all know, the first heat wave of the season is upon us. This heat wave is going to arrive tomorrow on Saturday and last through at least Monday, but possibly into Tuesday. So it will last three to four days. Now, over this time period, we're expecting very high temperatures in the 90s combined with very high humidity levels. And the combination of the high temperatures and humidity will make it feel like it's in the hundreds, 100 degrees to 105 degrees.

18:44 Now, when we talk about heat waves, a lot of people focus on those high temperatures and the heat index values. But the reality is there are multiple parts of a heat wave, multiple factors that make them dangerous. In this particular heat wave, there are three factors that we're looking at. The first factor are the overnight low temperatures. Over the next weekend and into early next week, from Saturday night through Monday night, the low temperatures are not going to fall below 75 degrees in the city of Chicago. In fact, in parts of the city where the urban heat island effect is most pronounced,

19:14 that low temperature is not going to fall below 80 degrees. When you factor in the humidity, which is going to stay the same through this whole heat wave, the heat index, what it feels like, is going to feel like it's greater than 80 degrees through the whole heat wave for more than 72 hours. And that gets into factor number two. That's the duration of this heat wave. We're looking at three to four days of dangerous heat. And heat impacts are cumulative. You can go through one day of dangerous heat, usually okay, but once you get to days two, three, and four, that's when it really starts to impact our bodies,

19:44 especially when we can't cool off at night with those really warm and humid conditions. Now, the third factor is acclimation. It's not unusual to get a heat wave in Chicago or the Great Lakes this time of year. But this is the first heat wave of this year. The last time we saw high in humid conditions like what we're expecting was last August. That's 10 months ago. And we're coming off a relatively cool spring where we had onshore flow off Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is not going to stop this heat wave. It's going to be hot all the way to the lakeshore, and we haven't felt these conditions in over 10 months. So when we wake up tomorrow

20:17 morning and walk outside, it's going to hit us like a wall, that humidity. So we all need to be prepared for that. So it's those three factors, not just the high temperatures, not just the humidity, it's the overnight low temperatures, it's the duration, and the fact that we're not acclimated is what's going to make this heat wave dangerous. As was previously mentioned, an extreme heat warning is in effect for Cook County and the city of Chicago. That goes in effect at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, that's tomorrow morning, and it's in effect all the way through Monday. If it looks like the dangerous heat will extend into Tuesday, then we will extend that product as well. Now, an extreme heat warning is a product of that 1995

20:52 heatwave that was a devastating heatwave we worked with the City of Chicago and Cook County in order to make special criteria for the City of Chicago due to that urban heat island effect that is why Cook County is in that extreme heat warning while surrounding areas are in a heat advisory we continue to be in constant communication with Chicago OEMC as we are with any major weather events and we'll continue to do so through this heatwave next I'd like to introduce Commissioner Marlene Hopkins good morning I am Marlene

21:27 Hopkins, Commissioner of the Department of Buildings. The Department of Buildings is committed to keeping all Chicagoans safe and protecting our most vulnerable populations. We have been a longstanding partner in our communities, making sure residents have what they need to stay safe during heat events like this. The city's cooling ordinance requires specific residential buildings to install air conditioning equipment in indoor gathering areas to service cooling centers when the outdoor heat index exceeds 80 degrees.

22:01 This ordinance affects all new and existing residential buildings within Chicago that are over 80 feet in height or buildings with more than 100 residential units or those operated as housing for older persons under the Federal Fair Housing Act. Our existing requirements for air conditioning continue to apply to facilities licensed as nursing homes, assisted living establishments, long-term care facilities, and adult family care centers and homes.

22:38 DOB inspectors will be working during this extreme weather event, partnering closely with the Department of Family and Support Services to conduct well-being checks and address any air conditioning-related complaints. When you call 311, we will respond. Keep up regular maintenance, such as cleaning and replacing filters on your air conditioning units. That can help prevent breakdowns when you need your AC the most. Setting your thermostat to a reasonable temperature of 75 to 78 degrees when it's 100 degrees outside

23:14 and using fans can help reduce the strain on your unit. Even closing your blinds and curtains during the hottest part of the day can help you and your loved ones keep cool. And this is critical. Please plug all window units directly into outlets, not an extension cord. Please report any noncompliance with the cooling ordinance violations to 311. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 911 immediately.

23:47 finally i would like to reiterate the thoughts of my colleagues the city has established protocols and we are prepared to handle the severe heat as we do every year please remember to do your part by staying hydrated and checking on your family friends and neighbors especially seniors and those with special needs at this time i will introduce valerie colletti senior vice president ComEd. Thank you, Commissioner. Good morning, everyone. My name is Valerie Coletti. I'm the

24:22 Senior Vice President of Distribution Operations for ComEd, and thank you for having us here today. At ComEd, we're prepared for the heat. We know it's coming. It's going to be here this weekend, and we're ready to meet the demand of customers and the 9 million people we serve in northern Illinois. We're closely monitoring the weather as we approach the weekend. As we heard today, temperatures are expected to be in the mid to upper 90s, with heat indexes potentially over 100 degrees. Our staffing levels have been adjusted to ensure we have

24:53 people in place quickly so we can safely respond to any interruptions. We'll continue to monitor the weather and temperature across our service territory and we can make adjustments as needed. Investments we've made in the grid have greatly improved our reliability and resiliency. Last year, nearly 2.3 million customers throughout our system did not experience a single outage or interruption, more than half of the customers that ComEd serves. We expect energy demand will increase significantly from the heat.

25:28 However, our system is prepared to meet the needs of our customers. As part of our annual summer preparedness plan, we work to ensure our company's critical infrastructure is prepared to handle the increased demand during these times of prolonged temperatures. This proactive effort also involves infrastructure work to make sure that our local energy grid is ready, preventing any outages caused by severe summer weather or storms. If customers experience an outage, you can text OUT, O-U-T, to 26633.

26:03 You can also call us at 1-800-Edison-1. You can report outages via our website as well, comed.com backslash report. Spanish-speaking customers can call 1-800-95-LUCIS. And we also have a ComEd, a new outage tracker. Customers can report outages, check estimated time of restoration, view crew status updates, and explore our outage map. All of that can be received at comed.com backslash outage tracker.

26:39 As you've heard from many today, we're here for our customers and we're ready for the weather. With that, I will introduce Michael Merchant, Chief of Staff, Chicago Park District. Good morning, everyone. Good morning. My name is Michael Merchant and I am the acting chief of staff for the Chicago Park District. We want to make sure that all of the city's residents and visitors know that the Chicago Park District is an additional resource to help provide relief from these upcoming hot days.

27:14 The Chicago Park District offers 43 designated cooling areas in parks and field houses located across the city. These are facilities that are air-conditioned and can help provide relief. For those looking to cool off outdoors, the Park District's 50 outdoor pools will be opening tomorrow, June 21st. And then in addition to that, our 27 indoor pools will provide relief throughout communities across the city.

27:47 This year, we are excited to announce the return to seven days a week for our pools. And this is going to be increasing the public's accessibility to these vital resources. Additionally, our 200 water spray features also open tomorrow. Many of these features are currently activated and operating across the city, and we are encouraging residents to use them to help with respite. Our lakefront beaches are also open for swimming daily from 11 to 7 when lifeguards are on duty.

28:26 We encourage patrons to visit the Chicago Park District website for swim conditions before heading to the beaches. The district also utilizes the flag notification system at each beach to tell patrons the current status of that location. Green, swimming is permitted, weather conditions are fair, water quality is good Yellow, caution is recommended And red, swimming is not permitted, weather conditions may not be good

28:58 Or water quality may not be great For your safety and the safety of others, please keep an eye on your children And follow the instructions of our lifeguards Their job is to keep the public safe for a complete list of the chicago park district cooling centers pools water spray features beaches please visit our website at chicagoparkdistrict.com and now i will introduce chris brown commissioner of the public libraries thank you thank you chief and good morning good morning i'm chris brown

29:38 chicago public library commissioner and at our city's libraries we've long been a place of refuge in extreme weather with 81 locations across the city we are open air conditioned and welcoming with no barriers or questions asked and it's not just cool inside it's connected we offer free broadband public computer clean water fountains and access to books and digital media whether you're a student a senior or just need a break from the heat we are here for you and

30:11 Chicago Public Library is open seven days a week Friday and Saturday were open from 9 to 5 Sunday from 1 to 5 and on Monday regional libraries are open 9 to 8 p.m. neighborhood branches are either open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. You can help spread the word. If you know someone who needs a safe, cool space, please bring them to the Chicago Public Library. We're open, ready, and proud to serve Chicago when it matters

30:42 most. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. At this moment, we'll open up for any questions. No questions? Yes. A little bit on the zip codes and the urban, I think it was the urban oven effect, if I heard that correctly. Could you just kind of elaborate on that? Dr. Ego.

31:16 So on our website, we have the heat index on our website. So the Heat Watch 2023, where there was active data collection to see the variation in how people experience heat across the city, provides a lot of details. But also based on the data that we have in terms of emergencies recorded over the last three years from 2022 to 2024, these were the top four zip codes where we saw the most emergencies.

31:59 And they coincide with the heat watch data that shows that these zip codes are the most impacted. So 60620, 60623, 60628, and 60651. All of the zip codes had more than 40 heat-related emergencies in the last year, in the last two years.

32:30 There are regional variations in how people experience heat. Part of it is heat, the tree canopy, the conditions of the housing, how high up you are in the building, what the cooling system is that you have in your building, et cetera. So there are a number of effects that, you know, collide and make certain areas more impacted than others in the city. Hi, my question is for Mary McCauley.

33:01 i know you've talked about how maura sorry maura macaulay i know you talked about how busy your outreach teams will be this weekend and we've heard how important it is to stay cool just wondering why the community service centers and the senior center cooling centers are not open on the weekend hours is that a staffing issue why are they only open on the weekdays sure so i think as you've heard this this morning we the city has over 288 different facilities

33:33 including parks libraries and our service center so as a as a coordinating group we look at the availability and what the needs are our operating hours are typically monday through friday these facilities are regularly operating on the weekends we've extended the garfield center it's not normally open on the weekends and we've opened it to have that added capacity and we'll continue to monitor that and work together on what the need is over this event. Hi thank you so much question for Dr. Ige you mentioned that

34:06 only three percent of the population has been using cooling centers last year it seemed like you think it's somewhat low why is it only three percent and then how does the availability of our cooling facilities compare to years past? Yes so So there are, we work with Elevator Chicago. We have a lot of data into why people prefer to go to certain places. What we found is that people's preferences are to go to known locations where they have a relationship.

34:40 So friends, family, members are the top choices. Most people don't want to go into a public cooling center from the data that we have. But part of that is also not recognizing how dangerous heat can be, especially for the first heat wave of the year. off of that we want to educate people and let them know that heat can be really dangerous if all you have available to you is a park library or a Chicago

35:10 public library or a park district location we will encourage you to use it even for a short time and then we have also called on friends families to check up on people so that they can be encouraged to seek support when necessary and then finally it is good to stay indoors but if indoors means no air conditioning then a cooling location may be a safer choice for those individuals. Okay last question. Violet Miller with Chicago Sun-Times this one

35:41 for Brett I know you mentioned you know we're pretty used to seeing these sorts of heat waves I think we've all realized that at this point but is there anything like comparable historically or that would be closest to this sort of event in the past that people might be able to who kind of think about as they prepare as you said that's a great question the last time that we had a heat wave of this magnitude was last august august 2024 in fact the humidity was even a little bit worse during that heat wave but that would be the most comparable typically we see two to three of these types of heat waves a year

36:12 it's just this is the first one of the year and we're just not used to the heat and humidity yet and that's what makes it so impactful all right thank you everyone and i just want to remind everyone please if you need to get on the chicago office of emergency management communications website so we can continue to push out the weather alerts updates and emergency notifications download the app and everybody have a wonderful day and thank you thank you

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