Cumberland Council has launched ‘Cooling Cumberland – Beat the Heat’ campaign to help residents manage extreme heat events with temperatures expected to soar this summer.
The campaign provides a wide range of information and resources on heatwave management and will include the extended trading hours of Council’s community centres and libraries as well as the locations of free pop-up splash park activations across the Cumberland Local Government Area.
Cumberland Mayor Lisa Lake said heatwaves and extreme heat events can have a severe impact on vulnerable communities.
“Heatwaves and extreme heat events are more common in Western Sydney with temperatures typically six to 10 degrees hotter than the rest of Sydney,” said Mayor Lake.
“According to statistics, it is estimated that there are three times as many heat-related deaths in Western Sydney during heatwaves, so we know extreme heat can have profound impacts on industries, ecosystems and people. It’s really important that Council takes proactive measures to help keep our residents safe and to ensure that everyone is well-prepared and informed during extreme heat events.”
As part of the campaign, Council support services for heat management, as well as brochures with tips for coping with adverse weather conditions will be available to help residents combat heat, stay cool and hydrated. This information will also be distributed to libraries and community centres, seniors, people with disability and carers throughout Council’s services and programs.
Council is also providing more options for the community to make it easier for heat management over the summer period. These include:
- Extending opening hours for our eight libraries until Sunday 25 February 2024 for residents to explore and keep comfortable.
- Extending opening hours for our six community centres from Monday 11 December 2023 until Friday 2 February 2024, which will provide a place of refuge from the heat for residents between midday to 5pm.
- Providing free pop-up splash parks for the community to cool down and enjoy in January 2024, which will operate every Saturday and Sunday during the month from 10am-4pm.
There are also a number of water refill stations available at outdoor venues across Cumberland which will help residents stay hydrated, cool and reduce environmentally unfriendly plastic drink bottles.
For more information about Cooling Cumberland – Beat the Heat campaign visit: https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/coolingcumberland
About Heatwaves or Extreme Heat Events in Western Sydney
- Heatwaves are days of extreme heat, when the maximum temperatures are hotter than usual for three or more consecutive days.
- Due to its geography and built environment, Western Sydney experiences temperatures 6–10 degrees higher than Eastern Sydney during extreme heat events.
- It is estimated there are three times as many heat-related deaths in Western Sydney during heatwaves than in Sydney’s East.
- The number of days per year over 35 degrees in Western Sydney has increased from an average of 9.5 days per year in the 1970s to 15.4 days per year in the last decade.
- The number of days over 40 degrees in Western Sydney is expected to increase in coming decades according to CSIRO and BoM climate modelling.
