Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes Leads a Coalition Asking FEMA to Declare Extreme Heat a Major Disaster

With 13 other State Attorney Generals, Arizona’s Kris Mayes is petitioning the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.) to declare extreme heat and wildfire smoke major disasters.

Penning a letter to FEMA, Attorney General Mayes wrote the following passages:

“Extreme heat and wildfire smoke are in all respects as ‘natural’ as hurricanes, and their impacts are likewise catastrophic for communities across the United States. Moreover, “the losses caused by extreme heat events, aside from a portion of those related to health, are generally not covered by insurance and most are borne by individuals and public entities.”

“Extreme heat caused or contributed to more than 1,000 deaths in Arizona in 2022. Nationally, 2,300 people officially died from heat exposure last year; the plurality of deaths occurred in Arizona. A recent study of extreme heat in California concluded that seven heat events contributed to approximately 460 deaths, thousands of hospitalizations, and emergency department visits, and cumulatively cost $7.7 billion. Crucially, these figures likely understate the true extent of heat-driven mortality across the country, and action by FEMA would allow for a better understanding of the true impact of such disasters.”

“Extreme heat and wildfire smoke events are projected to become more common across the United States in the coming decades—and potentially more dangerous—as global average temperatures continue to climb. Regions currently unaccustomed to deadly heatwaves or wildfire smoke plumes may soon become all too familiar.”

“For the above reasons, the proposed amendments to FEMA’s regulations would significantly enhance subnational efforts to prepare for, mitigate, and respond to high-severity extreme heat and wildfire smoke events. Such regulatory updates are in the best interests of our emergency management agencies, our residents, and the country as a whole—especially as climate change increases the likelihood of high-severity extreme heat and wildfire smoke events.”

In a press release that accompanied the letter to FEMA, the Attorney General commented:

“Extreme heat and wildfire smoke events are devastating because of their severe impact on public health and the environment, yet they are not currently recognized as major disasters by FEMA. Updating FEMA’s regulations to include these events will provide much-needed resources and help us better protect our residents.”

“In 2022, Arizona recorded 1,030 deaths related to or caused by heat statewide, as well as over 4,000 hospital or emergency room visits for heat-related illness. These preventable deaths are occurring both inside and outside, highlighting the need for things such as additional LIHEAP funding for low-income customers to receive assistance with their utility bills, more data-driven, 24-hour cooling centers, and better worker protections for extreme heat and wildfire smoke. Arizona is also in a long-term drought, which increases wildfire hazards exponentially.”

Both Phoenix and Tuscon Mayors Kate Gallego and Regina Romero voiced support for the Mayes Initiative.

Both had earlier supported calls for FEMA to declare extreme heat a major disaster.

In a letter written in April 2023, Mayor Gallego wrote to the FEMA administer and asked:

“I write to request the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s recognition of extreme heat events in the formal disaster declaration mechanism and the corresponding allocation of more federal resources for both response and mitigation. Though the communities in the Desert Southwest have been inhabited for millennia, climate change has exacerbated summer heat extremes and associated public health impacts. Communities across the country, including in historically cooler climates, are experiencing fatal heat events with increasing frequency. The impacts of increasing temperatures on public health and quality of life are in turn exacerbated by urban development patterns and compounding risk factors.”

“Mortality from environmental heat is a significant challenge in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix…” 

“…Heat causes more deaths each year than most other natural hazards combined, yet the national emergency planning and response mechanisms lack the same resources that are dedicated to other types of extreme weather events…”

Mayor Romero commented:

“Rising temperatures and wildfires are significant threats to us all. I appreciate the work of Attorney General Kris Mayes and the coalition of Attorney Generals for joining in the call urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to update its regulations classifying extreme heat and wildfire smoke events as eligible disaster declarations.”

“In the City of Tucson, I lead the City Council in passing our Heat Action Roadmap to guide our work fighting the impacts of climate change locally. The Council and I also voted on asking FEMA to take action by making this rule change. Extreme heat and smoke caused by wildfires are disasters and kill people, just like floods and super storms.”