The first seven months of 2020 have left communities reeling. While few could have predicted the very specific shock and horror of COVID-19, there are some cyclical events that can be expected; extreme summer heat is one of them.
Through the spring, a number of us grew concerned that we hadn’t heard any updates about the city’s emergency heat plan. We were worried about the return of summer’s grueling heat because we all know the 1995 heat disaster was not a one-off. It was a harbinger that tragically revealed what happens when an acute shock, like a climate event or a public health crisis, collides head-on with extreme structural racism. As a group of concerned residents, community leaders, and allies, we are extremely familiar with the decades of maps that show the disparities in our city and could only imagine the amplified impact another heat wave would have on our city.
We grew worried about its deadly impact across communities that are overburdened by compounding socio-economic and environmental issues.
We grew more worried about the continued prioritization of hazardous economic development projects, such as dredging the Calumet River, allowing General Iron to move to the Southeast Side, and continuing the demolition of the former Crawford coal plant. Each of these projects threatens air and water quality, continues to expose certain communities to environmental toxins, and further weakens a community’s resilience to a shock like an unexpected spike in temperature.
We grew extremely worried about our communities that need relief from dangerously hot homes and apartments, and those who wouldn’t feel safe leaving their home to go to nearby cooling centers, libraries, and houses of worship during this time of physical distancing.
It wasn’t until the beginning of July that news slowly began to reach our groups because someone happened to see an article in Block Club Chicago or the Sun-Times. We are grateful for the coordination between the Mayor’s Office, Office of Emergency Management and Communication, and the Department of Family and Support Services. However, we recognize a glaring gap that could be the very thing that saves residents: integrated leadership from community voices.