U.S VP Harris set to announce $1B grant to states for floods, extreme heat

Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris is set to announce a $1 billion grant to states to address flooding and extreme heat caused by climate change.

The announcement will be made at an event in Miami with the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other officials in attendance.

The competitive grants will help communities across the nation prepare for and respond to climate-related disasters.

The announcement comes as the number of fatalities from Kentucky’s massive flooding increased on Sunday amidst a fresh threat of more intense rain.

Wildfires in California and Montana grew in size due to windy, hot conditions, encroaching on neighborhoods and forcing evacuations.

The US VP will also attend a briefing by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and FEMA at the National Hurricane Center.

Last month, President Joe Biden announced that the government would spend $2.3 billion on programs run by FEMA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and other organisations to assist communities in coping with extreme heat.

Multiple Western states continued heat advisories amid a prolonged drought that has dried reservoirs and threatened communities across the region.

A total of $1 billion will be made available through the BRIC program, with another $160 million to be offered for flood mitigation assistance, officials said.

The Biden administration has initiated a number of grant aimed at reducing heat-related illness and protecting public health, including the development of a proposed workplace heat standard.