Lessons learned from supporting local planning for extreme heat in North Carolina
Abstract
The impacts of extreme heat are broad and systemic, affecting not only human health and well-being, but also infrastructure, energy systems, and public services. Many of the best strategies to address these impacts are implemented at the local level, by local governments and their partners. This paper covers the approaches taken by the North Carolina State Resilience Office (SRO), the North Carolina State Climate Office (SCO) and their partners to support the development of heat action plans by local governments in their state. These agencies collaborated to develop planning support resources and a programme to guide local governments through the process of developing heat action plans. The paper examines the rationale for this approach, the composition of the resources developed, the details of the planning programme, the results of this work, and how these agencies are adapting their programmes based on what they learned. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
Andrea Webster is the Resilience Policy Advisor for the State Resilience Office in the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. She works across state agencies and with local governments to increase community resilience to the impacts of natural hazards. Andrea manages her team’s heat resilience projects and coordinates heat preparedness work with state agencies, academic, and local partners.
Nicole Goddard is the Resilience Engagement Advisor for the State Resilience Office in the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. With a background in climate policy, resilience planning, and local government, Nicole works to support local government awareness and uptake of the tools and resources available to build their resilience to the impacts of natural hazards.
Allison Whitaker is the Extension Associate for the State Climate Office of North Carolina. She bridges the gap between cutting-edge research and state decision makers to equip them with the information they need to create a safer future for the residents of North Carolina.
Citation
Webster, Andrea, Goddard, Nicole and Whitaker, Allison (2026, May 24). Lessons learned from supporting local planning for extreme heat in North Carolina. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 19, Issue 4. https://doi.org/10.69554/ZXPA6458.
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