CM Narcisse on emergency weather services and warming centers
Narcisse asks about the $5M emergency weather services budget for warming centers. Olberg confirms OMB will cover expenses, and Katz describes the innovative approach of using vans to find and bring people in from the cold. No separate funding for cooling centers, which are part of the city's overall response.
H&H's fiscal 2026 budget for emergency weather services is $5 million.
The full $5 million was allocated in the preliminary plan to retroactively cover H&H emergency warming center services during extreme cold stretches with this past winter.
Will $5 million be H&H's full fiscal 2026 budget for emergency weather services, or do you anticipate additional funding for being added at the adoption?
I think we're very grateful, right?
You know, the warming center, you know, was a significant problem, and we had to come up with a very rapid solution.
And the arrangement that we have with OMB when, you know, health and hospitals, you know,
tries to address the situation is that they will cover those expenses for us.
And we anticipate in the future, if we're unfortunately met with a similar situation, that they will help us financially.
Okay.
Is the...
Okay.
Does H&H offer services during extreme heat emergencies as well?
If so, how much do you anticipate H&H spending on these services this coming summer?
So yes, we do offer cooling at all of our facilities for people who don't have it.
I think when it comes to cooling, the city has more resources and we are just one part of the resource.
I think in the cold spell, everybody was staying home and we needed the big thing that Health and Hospital was able to do was go and find the people.
And I think that's what changed.
And the city has always had warming centers, but people weren't necessarily going to them.
We then took vans and went out and found the people and brought them in.
So I think on the keeping people cool through the summer, the city has an overall response that we're just part of.
You don't have separate funding.
No separate funding.
Yeah, no separate funding.
Okay, the Rackaway trauma, I'm going to leave it for my colleagues.
That's exciting to go through that because you know she's excited to see you.
If she does not ask all the questions, I'm going to come back to that.
Okay, I have one of the question I want to ask.