Austin City Council member calls for action on extreme heat response

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin's unrelenting heat wave is not showing signs of stopping any time soon.

Austin City Council member Natasha Harper-Madison believes strongly that the city should prepare for this.

"That got me thinking about medically vulnerable people, and really thinking about all people that don't have shelter at all," she said.

In a special-called meeting set for Thursday, the council will be briefed about the city response to the extreme, and prolonged heat. 

Harper-Madison expressed her concern in a message board post to her colleagues, highlighting concerns about cooling center hours not being long enough, and wondering if all are staffed with health care workers.

"We also expressed concern about generators for those cooling centers. What happens when those cooling centers lose power?" she said.

Harper-Madison is particularly concerned about the medically vulnerable, the elderly and marginalized populations.

"I recognize that environmental impacts have disproportionate negative outcomes in black communities, brown communities, our seniors, elderly population, lower income residents, and unhoused Austinites," she said.

The heat is impacting Austinites of all backgrounds, but it is hitting some, such as the elderly, even harder. Since July 1, Austin-Travis County EMS medics responded to 142 heat related calls. For the entire month of July last year, there were only 85 total calls.

"When it comes to the very young and very old, typically they are not able to regulate their body temperatures as well as you or I do," said Captain Christa Stedman, Austin-Travis County EMS.

There are things you can do to prevent heat-related illness, like staying hydrated. But if symptoms appear, call 911.

"If you see somebody that is hot to the touch, and they are confused, hallucinating or straight up unconscious you need to move them, cool them and call 911," she said.

As Austinites do what they can to beat the heat, Harper-Madison hopes the city can do its part to step in and keep the public informed and safe.

"We need a one-stop shop website and access to information platform with clear information about where people can go, when they can go," she said.