What emergency preparations should cities make?, Many places around the world are breaking records! Dealing with extreme high temperature fires | cities | high temperatures

In recent years, extreme weather, especially extreme heat disasters caused by climate change, have become a common non-traditional safety risk worldwide, causing significant negative impacts on global economic growth, urban development, and life and health. Recently, many parts of China have entered a hot and rainy summer season. One of the important issues facing some large and medium-sized cities in China, especially coastal mega cities, is to prepare for extreme heat weather and take precautions in advance.

El Ni ñ o phenomenon becomes a new variable factor

Numerous studies have shown that the El Ni ñ o phenomenon has become a new variable factor affecting the occurrence of extreme high temperatures this year. Generally speaking, sustained global warming is the external dominant factor leading to the continuous occurrence of extreme high temperatures by humans. However, this year, the possible El Ni ñ o phenomenon may have a contributing effect on extreme high temperatures. Many research institutions have predicted this trend through observations, such as the latest assessment report released by the World Meteorological Organization on May 3, 2023, which stated that the probability of El Ni ñ o formation in the first half of this year was 15% from April to June, 35% from May to July, and 55% from June to August. The likelihood of El Ni ñ o occurring later this year is increasing, leading to a hotter summer this year. For example, Carbon Brief's forecast suggests that the high temperatures at the beginning of the year and the brewing El Ni ñ o phenomenon in the Pacific region may make 2023 the fourth hottest year on record.

Domestic and foreign practices have also shown that the process of enduring greater extreme high temperatures in 2023 has begun. From a global perspective, approximately 4% of the Earth's surface experienced record high temperatures in the first three months of 2023, with India experiencing temperatures exceeding 40 ℃ in February of this year, reaching 40.3 ℃. Since April, some parts of Central Asia, Japan, and South America have experienced record breaking high temperatures; Thailand experienced the hottest day in history on April 15th, with temperatures reaching 45.4 ℃; Laos reached 43.5 ℃ for two consecutive days in May; On the first day of June, the temperature in Vietnam reached 43.8 ℃, setting a new record for the highest temperature in the same period in history. From the perspective of our country, since mid June, some areas in Beijing, Tianjin, Henan, and western Shandong have experienced the highest temperature of 37 to 40 ℃, with some areas exceeding 40 ℃, experiencing the rare high temperature and hot weather of the same period throughout the year.

Starting from the weakest point and responding to the severe challenge of extreme high temperatures with strong resilience

Large cities or mega cities that rely on external energy supply exhibit greater vulnerability to extreme heat or weather due to their unique concentration of factors and economic size. To this end, close cooperation between the state and local governments, as well as between local and local governments, is necessary, especially for big city governments, related enterprises, and all citizens. With a high sense of mission and responsibility, they should unite sincerely, attach great importance to it, be prepared, and calmly cope with extreme high temperatures to ensure the safety of people's lives and property and the safe operation of the city. In addition to long-term planning and construction, emergency preparedness and support can be made from the following aspects:

One is to focus on ensuring power supply and develop energy action plans to cope with extreme heat disasters. During periods of extreme high temperatures, the demand for refrigeration equipment such as air conditioning and freezers among residents increases sharply, leading to a continuous increase in the load on the power grid. Therefore, overcoming the load pressure of extreme high temperatures on urban power supply, ensuring a small power outage in the city, and ensuring normal electricity consumption for industrial and commercial economic activities and residential life are the primary measures and core tasks to effectively respond to the risk of extreme high temperatures. To this end, urban governments and enterprises must prepare emergency plans for electricity supply, and make every effort to ensure the normal electricity consumption of people's livelihoods and key energy consuming units. Among them, urban governments should do a good job in energy storage planning, strengthen power supply agreements with power supply areas or units, or sign emergency agreements for temporary power adjustments to ensure that there is electricity available during peak periods of urban electricity consumption; Electric power companies should also prepare for peak summer periods, develop corresponding contingency plans, establish supply guarantee teams, improve emergency management mechanisms, build smart grids, and create smart management platforms to advance the summer electricity peak period and ensure power supply. At the same time, it is necessary to prepare emergency plans and action plans for water supply, prevent the risk of extreme high temperatures combined with water shortage, comprehensively protect agricultural and urban green systems, and prevent them from being severely damaged due to excessive drought.

The second is to establish and improve a timely and efficient extreme high temperature alarm system. Accurate forecasting and timely warning are the best ways to deal with any weather disaster risk. In the face of possible extreme high temperatures, urban governments should strengthen meteorological forecasting work in accordance with the law, achieve timely and accurate meteorological monitoring and prediction, and establish efficient alarm systems. These systems can transmit alarm information to citizens through SMS, email, social media, and radio channels, allowing citizens to obtain all information about possible extreme high temperature disasters in the first time, providing data support for rational decision-making of enterprises, institutions, and individuals. More importantly, relevant government departments should increase inspections and supervision to ensure that all employers in the city comply with the regulations of suspending outdoor work during extreme high temperatures, ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of workers and reducing unnecessary loss of life and health.

Thirdly, build and operate a diversified urban heatstroke prevention and cooling landscape facility system. In addition to leveraging the benefits of forests, lawns, water bodies, lakes, and green vegetation to reduce urban heat island effects, urban governments can also reduce heat by constructing waterways, fountains, artificial lakes, and other water bodies combined with landscapes. Especially in places with high outdoor pedestrian traffic such as stations, docks, and sidewalks, cooperation with operating units or enterprises should be carried out to set up a batch of spray type heatstroke prevention and cooling facilities on a large scale, or set up sheds/umbrellas to reduce the time citizens are directly exposed to the sun in high temperatures, providing convenient conditions for heatstroke prevention and cooling.

The fourth is to improve the medical and firefighting capabilities for treating patients and dealing with fires caused by extreme heat disasters. The response practices of some Asian countries have shown that extreme high temperatures often cause physical discomfort for larger groups and may put significant pressure on medical treatment capabilities. This reminds us to strengthen the construction of medical treatment capabilities to cope with extreme high temperatures, especially around community hospitals, and to make the most sufficient preparations in terms of medical personnel, drugs, etc., to ensure that every individual who falls ill due to high temperatures can receive rapid and effective treatment. At the same time, extreme high temperatures are highly likely to cause fires. City governments need to strengthen their fire protection capabilities, ensure that all fire exits in the city are unobstructed, and all fire protection facilities remain functional. They should respond and dispose of all possible types of fires in the fastest and most efficient manner, reducing losses to life and property.

Fifthly, it is necessary to formulate and implement extreme heat care volunteer service actions targeting special groups. Especially in some old communities where the elderly are concentrated, we should fully leverage the advantage of having a clear population after the epidemic, and develop a targeted and easily accessible volunteer service system for special groups such as the elderly, disabled, and disadvantaged children, to ensure that they receive timely care and attention from the community and society during extreme heat periods. At the same time, we encourage and guide large supermarkets, sports venues, museums, and other places in the city to open air-conditioned spaces to the elderly, children, and delivery drivers during extreme high temperatures, allowing off peak operating hours to cool down and helping citizens to enjoy the high temperatures and heat in the embrace of urban human relations.

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