RESILIENCE WHITE PAPER SERIES: Emergency Sheltering & Cooling Center Practices in Connecticut
Authors and Affiliations: Nicholas Elton, Yale School of Public Health; Laura E. Hayes, Health Statistics and Surveillance Section, Connecticut Department of Public Health; Joanna Wozniak-Brown, UConn Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation
Abstract: Researchers with the Connecticut Department of Public Health and University of Connecticut Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation conducted a survey in fall of 2020 on temporary emergency shelters and cooling centers practices in Connecticut. The primary survey objective was to organize and analyze information to inform public health officials and climate resilience planners in the development of best management practices of cooling centers and temporary emergency shelters, as first recommended by the Governor’s Council on Climate Change. A lack of statistical significance limited the researchers’ ability to make broad state-wide practice observations; however, there were limitations in the amenities offered at shelters and cooling centers, public advertisements were focus on online methods, and health departments were slightly more involved in emergency sheltering over cooling centers, among respondents. Key considerations for future policy and resilience planning are offered.
Suggested citation: Elton, N., Hayes, L.E., & Wozniak-Brown, J. 2022. Preliminary Results: Emergency Shelter and Cooling Center Practices in Connecticut. Connecticut Department of Public Health and UConn Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation. https://doi.org/10.56576/IDWM7145