Last month, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) granted the Rain City with its first ever grant to mitigate hazards caused by extreme heat and wildfire smoke.

For Washington state, this is the first cooling center award given and the largest award for Seattle under the program.

"We're working with partners to plan for resiliency hubs to transform community-owned spaces as well," said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle and the surrounding region have seen an increase in both the frequency and duration of heatwaves, and wildfire events have also increased during the last decade.

As heat waves ramp up across the nation, this expands state efforts to provide citizens with public cooling centers during extreme weather events.

https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-receives-55-million-fema-cooling-center-grant-for-extreme-heat-mitigation-summer-weather-hot-warm-hazards-climate-change-danger-heatwave