Assignment 2

1630737

University of Washington

SPH 380, AA
 Chicago, Illinois USA is currently experiencing an extreme cold snap. The worst of the cold

occurred between January 27, 2019 and February 1, 2019 however temperatures continue to

remain below freezing.1 This extreme, and deadly, weather was caused by a polar vortex and

has created temperatures reaching 60 degrees Fahrenheit below zero with wind chill.2 Chicago

efforts have targeted homeless, senior, and disabled populations as frostbite can set in within

10 to 15 minutes of exposure with these temperatures,2 making these populations the most

vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Nonetheless, everyone in Chicago has been affected by

this emergency, and services have been put in place to help every Chicagoan stay warm.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a federal agency that

provides information on our changing environment and climate, specifically focusing on the

conservation of our remaining oceanic ecosystems.3 The NOAA provides the National Weather

Service (NWS), a federal service which distributes information on weather and climate

forecasts, as well as communicates weather warnings and advisories to the public. 4 The NWS

advisories and warnings declared for Chicago allowed local departments and their partners to

coordinate and prepare for their response to the impending weather.

Locally, many agencies played instrumental parts in the preparation for and survival of the

extreme weather, however, the health issue of prolonged exposure to the cold was mostly

addressed by the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), the Chicago Transit

Authority (CTA), and the Office of Emergency Management and Communication’s (OEMC) 3-1-1

service. The DFSS directs individuals and families to services that enhance their well-being and

support their growth,5 while the CTA operates Chicago’s transportation system.6 These two

agencies collaborated to provide five warming buses as a mobile service targeting homeless
individuals. The DFSS also expanded its warming centers to more than 270 locations and added

500 beds to city homeless shelters.7 Partnering with outside services like Lyft and Uber, the

DFSS also provided payment codes for free rides to any warming center in Chicago.8 The

OEMC’s 3-1-1 line, a phone service for accessing non-emergent city assistance,9 also

collaborated with the DFSS by providing an additional transportation service to shelters and

warming centers. The 3-1-1 service is available to anyone and also provides well-being checks

and takes complaints for inadequate heating, reporting violations to the appropriate

authorities.10

The Salvation Army, a human rights non-governmental organization worked to fill the

gaps in the services already provided.11 The Salvation Army contributed feeding services to CTA

and DFSS warming buses as well as DFSS emergency warming centers throughout the city. They

also contributed additional, unofficial, warming centers at their community centers and helped

provide extra hands for 3-1-1 response.11 The contact information for the Salvation Army will

not be included in the PSA, as the applicable services this organization provides are provided in

conjunction with the DFSS and CTA and therefore are contacted through these agencies. Some

services are specific to the Salvation Army however these services are targeted outreach

programs which are scheduled and are not called upon by individuals.11 The contact

information for the NWS will also not be provided due to their warnings and advisories having

no direct effect on accessing vulnerable populations and directing them to warming and

emergency services.
 Bibliography

1. City of Chicago. 2019 Extreme Weather / Temperatures.

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/fss/supp_info/ExtremeWeather/Jan

uary2019/ChicagoExtremeWeatherSummary022019.pdf. February 2019.

2. CBS Chicago. Deep freeze danger: Governor Pritzker declares emergency over extreme

cold snap. https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/01/29/deep-freeze-danger-governor-

pritzker-declares-emergency-over-extreme-cold-snap/. January 29, 2019.

3. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Our mission and vision.

https://www.noaa.gov/our-mission-and-vision.

4. National Weather Service. National Weather Service mission statement.

https://www.nws.noaa.gov/mission.php.

5. City of Chicago. Family and Support Services. Mission.

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fss/auto_generated/fss_mission.html.

6. Chicago Transit Authority. Service Standards.

https://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/6/servicestandards129737.pdf. July 2001.

7. Office of the Mayor. Mayor Emanuel and OEMC release event summary showing

Chicago responded above and beyond set protocols to ensure safety of residents during

extreme cold.

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/fss/supp_info/ExtremeWeather/Jan

uary2019/MayorOEMCReleaseExtremeWeatherEvent021019.pdf. February 10, 2019.

8. Fruend, Sara. Chicago handles extreme cold like no other city. Curbed Chicago.

https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/1/31/18204627/chicago-cold-weather-polar-vortex-

travel. January 31, 2019.

9. City of Chicago. Emergency Management and Communications. 3-1-1 City Services.

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/oem/provdrs/3-1-1-city-services-.html.

10. City of Chicago. Family and Support Services. Warming Center.

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fss/provdrs/serv/svcs/dfss_warming_centers.h

tml.

11. The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division. The Salvation Army ramps up outreach

efforts in wake of deadly cold snap.

https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/metro/news/the-salvation-army-ramps-up-

outreach-efforts-in-wake-of-deadly-cold-snap/. January 28, 2019.