On August 14 at 2 pm ET, WaterISAC will convene the next event in its quarterly Water Sector Natural Disaster Threat Briefings, this time focusing on extreme heat and what utilities can do to protect and mitigate their facilities and personnel from these events. WaterISAC will be joined by speakers from the Salt River Project (SRP), a water and electric utility that serves central Arizona, and the National Weather Service’s (NWS’s) Phoenix office, which is collocated and operates closely with SRP. When it comes to extreme heat, this group really knows what it’s talking about, so don’t miss this special opportunity to learn about what your utility can do to build resilience to these events.
NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist Tom Frieders will begin the briefing by providing a background on extreme heat and describing experiences in Arizona, which include Phoenix having a record-setting 55 days of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in 2023 and trends for the summer of 2024 so far. He will also provide information on how climate change has impacted local temperature trends, how they work with SRP and their other partners to help them prepare for and respond to adverse weather, and then finish with the weather outlook for the remainder of the summer. Next, SRP Director of Risk Management Sara McCoy, and Director of Hydro Generation Ivan Insua, will share a utility viewpoint on the practices and realities of operating in extreme heat, including impacts to workers and to the equipment. Some of the measures and tools they have implemented include a corporate heat stress program, weatherization procedures, and hand-held heat stress meters.
Additionally, WaterISAC staff will identify other resources water and wastewater utilities should be aware of to assist with protection, mitigation, and response. These include sources of extreme heat forecasts and monitoring, checklists and guides to help prepare utilities and personnel, and partners to connect with.
WaterISAC members only.
Register any time. No need to cancel if you can’t attend.
