Pagina en Español: Resistencia al Calor
In collaboration with the North Shore Community Development Coalition, the City of Salem, the MAPC, and Salem State, SAFE is supporting a resident-led urban heat resiliency pilot project in El Punto. We educate on the impacts of heat and drive data collection through heat sensors, surveys, and heat mapping. This is a Barr Foundation funded project.
High heat is an environmental justice issue.
Historically redlined districts (Areas that were systematically prevented from building wealth on the basis of race) are on average 5°F hotter than other districts. These neighborhoods are primarily occupied by people of color, putting them at a higher risk of experiencing disproportionate high heat.
In Salem, we have neighborhoods that experience high heat differently that others due to lack of green space, a higher density, etc. We are working on the pilot project in The Point because it is the most densely populated, high urban heat area in Salem.
This is likely due to densely packed buildings, impervious surfaces (a surface that is densely compacted, such as concrete), and a high quantity of dark-colored roofs (roofs that absorb heat and re-radiate it rather than reflecting it).
As a result, Salem Alliance for the Environment (SAFE) has installed 4 heat monitors in The Point. One is behind the North Shore CDC at 96 Lafayette St, one is at Mary Jane Lee Park, another is on a pole at Palmer Cove Park, and the last is at the painted basketball court on Ward St.
As we’ve learned over the weekend of July 4, extreme heat events can extremely be dangerous for health. The graphics below details who is most affected by high heat, and offers tips for how to stay cool during the summer. This information could save your life.
Interested in learning more about high heat?
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