East Flatbush Is the Hottest Neighborhood with the Fewest Cooling Centers in NYC, Comptroller Analysis of Heat Risks Finds

New York, NY – In a newly released report Overheated, Underserved, the New York City Comptroller’s office identified East Flatbush as the neighborhood most underserved by and in need of cooling infrastructure to help New Yorkers stay healthy during last month’s heat wave. The Comptroller’s office assessed the availability of cooling center sites activated during the heat emergency in conjunction with the heat vulnerability index and population size to identify hotspot neighborhoods and made a series of recommendations to strengthen the City’s preparedness for heat emergencies. 

“As climate change makes deadly heat waves more prevalent, New York City must shade its residents from dangerous health effects. A heat advisory is in effect today, and more are coming. We should move immediately to establish additional cooling centers in neighborhoods like East Flatbush, where our analysis shows very high heat vulnerability but far too little access to cooling sites. We can take immediate steps to keep libraries and senior center centers open over weekends and during high heat evenings in key areas. If we take action now, we can prevent future heat emergencies from becoming life-threatening catastrophes,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. 

Cooling centers offer vital, life-saving spaces for people to access air conditioning during heat waves. Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related fatalities across the country, and in New York City 370 people die of heat-related deaths annually. There are disparities of those who face risks from extreme heat: heat mortality rates for Black New Yorkers are twice as high compared to white New Yorkers due to a variety of economic, social and environmental factors.  

The City of New York activates a Cooling Center Finder during declared heat emergencies. The Comptroller’s office analyzed a snapshot of available cooling center data from the seven-day heat wave that lasted from July 19-25, 2022 to identify gaps in service and opportunities to strengthen the City’s response. Because this analysis reflects a snapshot in time, it does not account for changes that may have occurred throughout the week-long heat wave. 

The analysis looked at the availability of cooling centers across NYC as well as available hours of operation, accessibility, and mapped the activated cooling centers onto the City’s heat vulnerability index. The heat vulnerability index estimates heat risk based on social and environmental factors of surface temperature, green space, access to home air conditioning, and poverty rates. 

The analysis found that East Flatbush was most significantly underserved by cooling centers, with only two cooling centers open to the neighborhood’s 162,400 residents. Neighborhoods facing the greatest cooling center disparities, based on heat vulnerability and population size, are concentrated in Central Brooklyn, Central Queens, and across the Bronx. 

Of the 542 cooling centers listed as available resources during the July 2022 heat wave, half were listed as closed on Saturdays and 83% were closed on Sundays, even while the weeklong heat emergency spanned the course of a weekend. The two-thirds of cooling centers did not offer extended hours, and only 11% were open during evenings, with many closing around or before peak heat times of day. 

Nearly half of the City’s activated cooling centers were senior centers, which are only open to people over 60 years. Of those senior cooling centers, 56% did not offer extended hours and 22% did not have wheelchair access. While older adults are most vulnerable to heat-related health emergencies, those centers are not accommodating to families seeking to beat the heat together.  

The Comptroller’s recommendations include:  

1. Increase the number of cooling center locations in the most underserved neighborhoods, starting with East Flatbush.  
2. Expand alternate cooling center siting options, especially in underserved neighborhoods.  
3. Establish outdoor cooling stations.  
4. Increase extended and weekend hours, especially in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods.  
5. Make cooling center information permanently available to enable proactive emergency planning.  
6. Ensure all cooling centers are wheelchair accessible.  
7. Transition to more sustainable cooling systems.   
8. Reduce urban heat island effect with more green spaces and cool pavements in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods.  

“Extreme heat is the deadliest impact of climate change, and in New York City it kills Black people twice as often as other racial and ethnic groups,” said Lonnie J. Portis, Environmental Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “We thank Comptroller Lander for his leadership on this. And we urge the City to review the report and its recommendations, which echo many of those we presented in our own Cooling Center Report earlier this year.” 

“Extreme heat is one of the deadliest challenges vulnerable New Yorkers face. We commend the work the Comptroller’s Office is doing to make cooling centers more accessible to those who need it most. NYC-EJA has conducted independent analysis over the last few years by contacting cooling centers in our member districts and found several that were not operational, non-responsive—even a few that didn’t realize they were cooling centers. The lack of uniform responses and some sporadic operations are exacerbated by cooling centers not being owned and operated by the City of New York. While NYC-EJA has long advocated for green infrastructure and nature-based solutions to combat extreme heat in frontline communities, these are longer term solutions. With more heat waves about to hit us in the coming weeks (and even more in the years to come) it is imperative that the City increases the number of cooling centers available and accessible to vulnerable New Yorkers.” said Shravanthi Kanekal, Resiliency Planner at the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.  

“Heat stress impacts some of our more vulnerable populations, including older people, children, and homeless individuals. Excessive heat can also aggravate asthma and drain financial resources that already disproportionally affect low-income communities and communities of color, making cooling centers in our communities much more than an amenity, but an issue of equity. Thank you, Comptroller Lander, for highlighting inequities related to cooling centers in our borough. We welcome additional city resources to open more cooling centers in Brooklyn’s most affected neighborhoods,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

“While we continuously grapple with increasingly volatile weather due to climate change, including periods of extreme heat, we have to guarantee that all of our neighbors have access to the resources they need to stay safe and healthy. Today’s report by Comptroller Lander highlights the severe disparities we have to tackle to ensure, that in instances of extreme heat, all of our neighbors can access City-run cooling centers. As it stands, we are leaving thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers, including older adults, with little recourse to deal with high and potentially dangerous temperatures. The Comptroller’s report shows us where we can and must do better. Now, we have the responsibility to act,” said New York City Council Member Hudson.

“Time and time again, Central Brooklyn has gotten left behind with government resources and attention. The Comptroller’s report showing the lack of cooling centers in our neighborhoods is just the latest example of our community not getting the attention we deserve in the midst of a climate crisis. I thank Comptroller Lander and his team for highlighting this climate in justice in our own backyard,” said New York City Council Member Rita Joseph. 

“It is no accident that New York City neighborhoods that are not sheltered with trees and have few parks are also the hottest, including Elmhurst in my district. Comptroller Lander’s report exposes another shocking truth: the city operates the fewest cooling centers in these same neighborhoods. We must invest more in communities that suffer the most,” said New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan.

The report is available here.

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