Local & Community
Palm Springs Hosts First Extreme Heat Summit to Protect Vulnerable Residents
Extreme heat is one of the biggest challenges facing the Coachella Valley, and Palm Springs brought experts and community leaders together Friday to discuss ways to better protect residents.
The city hosted its inaugural Extreme Heat Summit at the Palm Springs Convention Center, presented by the Department of Sustainability in partnership with the Office of Emergency Management. The full-day event brought together government leaders, researchers, public health professionals, emergency managers and community advocates.
The summit focused on preparing communities for extreme heat, including protecting vulnerable residents, strengthening emergency preparedness and improving community resilience.
Topics included cooling infrastructure, heat resilience planning, public health, climate adaptation and emergency response.
Organizers also emphasized the importance of bringing different parts of the community into the conversation, including county agencies, city officials, health care organizations, disaster preparedness groups, HOAs and residents.
One of the key messages from the summit was that addressing extreme heat requires cooperation across those groups, particularly when it comes to protecting people who are most vulnerable to high temperatures.
The city titled the summit “Heat as Infrastructure: Designing Systems, Cities, and Services for Resilience,” reflecting a broader focus on making heat preparedness part of how communities plan and operate.
Speakers included Palm Springs Mayor Naomi Soto, public policy leader Diane Morales, climate planner Elizabeth Felter, Dr. Ladd Keith of the University of Arizona’s Heat Resilience Initiative and Dr. Jenna LeComte-Hinley of HARC, among others.
The summit is part of Palm Springs' broader work on heat mitigation. The city has also scheduled community listening sessions beginning in October for its Comprehensive Shade and Heat Mitigation Plan.
City officials say they hope to continue the conversation and hold the heat summit again in future years.
Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.
By: NBC Palm Springs
September 18, 2026
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