On May 14th 2025, CoolSeal’s Maria Koetter hosted "Heat Resilience in Action: What You Can Learn from North Carolina" as part of the Cool Communities, Healthy People Webinar Series.
Fast forward ➡️ Watch now [include link to video]
About the webinar
With extreme heat emerging as one of the fastest-growing public health threats in the U.S., this session spotlighted how North Carolina is leading with bold, community-driven solutions. Featured speakers Andrea Webster, Autumn Locklear, and Hannah Tuckman shared how communities across North Carolina are taking action, offering practical tools and local examples to help others prepare for and respond to extreme heat.
Andrea Webster introduced the Heat Action Plan Toolkit, highlighting the collaborative efforts behind its development. She explained how the toolkit can be used to guide local strategies for extreme heat mitigation and encouraged attendees to consider how their own communities could adopt similar approaches to stay prepared and protected.
Autumn Locklear focused her presentation on the surveillance of heat-related illnesses resulting from North Carolina’s rising temperatures. She emphasized the growing impact of extreme heat on community health and shared potential solutions, including the implementation of a Heat Health Alert System to keep the public informed and help prevent heat-related illnesses.
Hannah Tuckman discussed how 2024 marked the hottest year on record for Orange County, North Carolina. She explained how the county’s Heat Action Plan has played a crucial role in keeping residents informed and educated. Tuckman also described current efforts to combat extreme heat, which include a Heat Awareness Proclamation, community cooling centers, a cool pavements program, tree planting initiatives, Heat Awareness Week, and the "Beat the Heat" campaign.
Watch the full webinar here:
[video link]
Download the webinar slides here:
Learn more about our experts
Andrea Webster
Resilience Policy Advisor, North Carolina
Andrea leads heat resilience efforts in North Carolina, drawing on experience developing vulnerability programs for rural communities and supporting urban heat mitigation initiatives like Louisville’s cool roof program.
Autumn Locklear
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health
Autumn Locklear leads North Carolina’s syndromic surveillance for heat-related illness and helps implement the Statewide Heat Health Alert System in collaboration with the Department of Public Health.
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Hannah Tuckman
Emergency Management Planner for Orange County Emergency Services
Hannah Tuckman is responsible for strategic planning to enhance the County's resiliency to natural, technological, and human-caused hazards. Hannah is a member of the core planning team to develop the Orange County Heat Action Plan.
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