Project motivation

Living in Las Vegas, one of the fastest-warming cities in the world, I have witnessed firsthand the environmental challenges the city faces, including recent summer flash flooding. People experiencing homelessness are at the forefront of these risks, particularly those experiencing unsheltered homelessness who live outdoors or in the city’s underground tunnels. I work with the Nevada Homeless Alliance and Southern Nevada Lived X Consultants to assess the heat and flooding exposure faced by people experiencing homelessness, both now and in the future due to climate change. This work supports homelessness service providers in coordinating outreach, resource distribution, and policy planning for extreme weather events. Initial results from this project were presented at the American Geophysical Union 2024 Fall Meeting.