By Olivia Bahena Sahagún, Federal Carol Brantley Climate Justice Fellow, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
In July 1995, Chicago endured one of the deadliest climate disasters in U.S. history. A heatwave pushed temperatures above 100°F and heat index values to 115°F, causing more than 700 heat-related deaths. What made this heatwave so deadly for certain communities was not just the temperature, but poor housing infrastructure, weak emergency response, and social inequality. Thirty years later, as climate change increases extreme heat in cities, the lessons from 1995 are still relevant today. This disaster demonstrated that extreme heat is not just a weather problem; it is a policy failure shaped by infrastructure, governance, and social inequality.
Climate change is now making heat policy more urgent, as the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events are increasing, and heatwaves like 1995 are no longer rare events. Without addressing climate change, we cannot protect our communities from extreme heat. President Trump’s recent proposed budget cuts to the EPA, NOAA, and FEMA only threaten to undercut efforts to keep Americans safe from extreme heat. A decrease in funding for climate and environmental programs will limit localities’ ability to prepare for future heat events and properly adapt to climate change. Without sustained investment in climate resilience, the same structural inequalities that made the 1995 heatwave so deadly will continue to put lives at risk.
The Legacy of Redlining Lives On: Systemic Inequalities Increase Risk to Extreme Heat
Urban infrastructure played a major role in determining which Chicago communities felt the biggest impact of the heatwave and which didn’t. Predominantly low-income, Black neighborhoods had and still have fewer trees and more pavement than other areas, which intensifies heat. Many residents in those neighborhoods also did not have AC units or could not afford to use them. A New England Journal of Medicine study found that half of the deaths could have been prevented with a working AC in each home. These conditions demonstrated how unequal infrastructure directly shaped who faced the greatest risk.
These infrastructure disparities are rooted in Chicago’s history of redlining, a practice that denied loans and investments to communities of color and left them in hotter, less resilient neighborhoods. Through this racist housing practice, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation made the city extremely segregated, and this legal segregation has led to the urban infrastructure and housing issues that caused low-income, Black communities to feel the worst of the 1995 heatwave.
Social isolation was also a determining factor in whether residents survived the heatwave. A 1996 study found that living alone doubled the risk of death during the heat and that those who died from heat-related deaths were less likely to leave home frequently or have friends in Chicago. Without strong social networks, victims of extreme heat who lived alone, especially the elderly, could remain unnoticed for long periods of time, not receiving immediate medical attention needed to possibly save their lives.
Beyond Chicago: How Patterns of Inequities Create Urban Heat Islands
This pattern is not unique to Chicago. Cities like Washington, D.C. show the same inequities, where historically underinvested neighborhoods become urban heat islands, metropolitan areas significantly hotter than surrounding areas. These similarities show that the 1995 heatwave isn’t an isolated event caused by one-time failures, but part of a larger national pattern of unequal climate vulnerability, which is why a stronger federal response is needed.
Chicago improved its heat response after 1995, but these changes focused mostly on emergency management. During a 1999 heatwave, the city issued more warnings and press releases, opened cooling centers, and sent police to check on vulnerable residents. Today, Chicago has a very extensive extreme heat emergency plan. However, improved emergency planning does not address the structural issues that create risk in the first place.
The federal government has also responded more seriously to heat since 1995. In 2015, NOAA and the CDC launched the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) to support heat resilience in the U.S.
In 2022, the NIHHIS created the Heat.gov website to educate the public and decision-makers on reducing heat risk. Additionally, the EPA has also increased attention and public awareness of heat. Today, heat is recognized as a public health issue.
The Path Forward: Recognize Extreme Heat as a Major Disaster
Despite greater awareness, the underlying inequities that make heat deadly have not been solved. Extreme heat waves are often viewed as temporary weather emergencies, rather than long-term infrastructure problems. FEMA can change that by recognizing extreme heat as a major disaster, just like floods or tornadoes, and ensuring cities are prepared for heatwaves. FEMA could then provide funding for cooling centers, AC installations, housing improvements, and expanded tree canopy, all of which would protect vulnerable communities.
The 1995 Chicago heatwave revealed that when extreme temperatures intersect with poor housing, segregation, and weak preparedness, the outcome is deadly for vulnerable communities. Although some cities now have stronger emergency response programs, many underlying structural inequalities remain. As climate change increases the frequency of extreme heat, a federal policy response is needed to make cities resilient and adaptable to extreme heat. FEMA must recognize heat as a major disaster so that localities can receive support with immediate danger and the deeper inequities that make heat so dangerous; it’s how we save lives in a hotter, more unequal world.
As we face more frequent and severe climate disasters, it’s clear that our federal systems must be ready for every kind of extreme weather event. With recent winter extreme weather disasters and hurricane season quickly approaching, there is uncertainty about whether FEMA will deliver aid when communities need it most. Tell your member of Congress to pass the FEMA Act of 2025 to strengthen and reform FEMA. Urge them to make sure FEMA is fully staffed, funded, and prepared to respond to ongoing and future climate disasters.
About the author: Olivia Bahena Sahagún (she/her) is the Federal Carol Brantley Climate Justice Fellow for spring 2026. In her role, she supports the Federal team by assisting their campaigns to advance impactful climate policy. She is currently a student at Wake Forest University where she is working to receive a bachelor’s degree in Politics and International Affairs.
Olivia’s passion for the environment began at a young age, shaped by her grandma, who passed down her deep care for animals and the planet. She hopes to pursue a career in environmental policy and work to advocate for a sustainable future. In her free time, Olivia enjoys thrifting, going on walks, and spending time with her cat Pancho.
