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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Isabel Friedman, Environmental Health Advocate at Natural Resources Defense Council
1:46:55
ยท
111 sec
Isabel Friedman from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) testifies in strong support of Intro 998, which would codify New York City's cooling center program. She emphasizes the importance of cooling centers in combating extreme heat, especially for vulnerable communities, and proposes additions to strengthen the bill's effectiveness.
- Extreme heat disproportionately affects low-income communities, communities of color, and older populations, causing 350 fatalities in NYC each summer.
- Cooling center visits can reduce the risk of heat-related deaths by an estimated 66%.
- NRDC recommends annual updates to the number of cooling centers, establishing minimum centers operating outside 9-5 hours, and allocating sufficient dedicated funding for the program.
Isabel Friedman
1:46:55
Good morning, chair shulman and members of the committee on health.
1:46:58
My name is Isabel Friedman, and I'm an environmental health advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
1:47:04
NRDC strongly supports Intro nine nine eight, which would codify the city's bullying center program, enabling it to better protect frontline communities.
1:47:12
Extreme heat kills more people than all other natural disasters combined, resulting in three hundred and fifty fatalities in New York City alone each summer.
1:47:20
However, the burden of extreme heat falls overwhelmingly on low income communities, communities of color, and older populations.
1:47:27
Cooling centers are an essential tool in combating extreme heat, especially for low income communities and unhoused individuals who lack access to cooling devices and face higher rates of energy and security.
1:47:38
In fact, cooling center visits can reduce the risk of heat related deaths by an estimated sixty six percent.
1:47:44
However, the current program lacks consistency across sites, staff trained to identify heat related illness and signage to increase public usage.
1:47:53
Intro nine nine eight would strengthen this program by ensuring environmental justice communities are prioritized in the quantity and citing of the city's cooling centers as well as empower the city to better allocate resources to improve utilization of the program.
1:48:06
To maximize the bill's effectiveness, we propose the following short additions.
1:48:10
First, the responsible agencies should base the number of cooling centers on the most recent data to account for rapidly changing climate risks and update the number annually.
1:48:19
Second, a minimum number of cooling centers that operate outside of the nine to five window should be established in each heat vulnerable neighborhood.
1:48:26
Third and most important, sufficient and dedicated funding must be allocated to this program by the city.
1:48:31
With what's likely to be another record breaking summer quickly approaching, we must act now.
1:48:36
On behalf of NRDC and our partners, I urge the city to pass this legislation and allocate funding for these life saving pooling spaces.
1:48:44
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.