TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Adaptive capacity to extreme heat: results from a household survey in Houston, Texas
JO  - Weather, climate, and society
A1  - Hayden, Mary H.
A1  - Wilhelmi, Olga V.
A1  - Banerjee, Deborah
A1  - Greasby, Tamara
A1  - Cavanaugh, Jamie L.
A1  - Nepal, Vishnu
A1  - Boehnert, Jennifer
A1  - Sain, Stephan
A1  - Burghardt, Crystal
A1  - Gower, Stephanie
SP  - 787
EP  - 799
VL  - 9
IS  - 4
N2  - Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the United States, suggesting the necessity for better understanding population vulnerability to extreme heat. The work presented here is part of a larger study examining vulnerability to extreme heat in current and future climates [System for Integrated Modeling of Metropolitan Extreme Heat Risk (SIMMER)] and was undertaken to assess Houston, Texas, residents' adaptive capacity to extreme heat. A comprehensive, semistructured survey was conducted by telephone at 901 households in Houston in 2011. Frequency and logistic regression analyses were conducted. <br><br>RESULTS show that 20% of the survey respondents reported heat-related symptoms in the summer of 2011 despite widespread air conditioning availability throughout Houston. Of those reporting heat-related symptoms experienced in the home (n = 56), the majority could not afford to use air conditioning because of the high cost of electricity. This research highlights the efficacy of community-based surveys to better understand adaptive capacity at the household level; this survey contextualizes population vulnerability and identifies more targeted intervention strategies and adaptation actions.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1948-8327
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-16-0125.1
ID  - ref1
ER  -