Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
San Antonio has a lot of factors that make it a very livable city, but what can feel like eight or nine months of summer-like heat is not one of them.
In fact, that extended heat can kill a few residents or sicken hundreds every year.
Director of Resilience and Sustainability Laura Patiño updated members of the city council's community health committee on Thursday about efforts to combat the heat under the city's "Heat Resilience Playbook."
She cited some city health department statistics for members of the committee.
"Since, 2022, we have reported nearly 2,400 heat-related illnesses, categorized by heat dehydration, fainting, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke," Patiño said.
She said the city is also working to better track actual heat related deaths, which can be hard to get a grip on, since those deaths are not always immediately obvious.
Patiño used the stats to draw attention to the city's 52-point, multi-department playbook to literally cool the city and its residents on hot days in the years ahead.
In 2023, the city recorded 75 days of 100 or hotter degree heat, and it's only going to get hotter. By the end of the century, that number could grow to as many as 100 such days, city officials said.
Patiño said a big part of the playbook for neighborhoods are new tree plantings.
"Looking at progress for fiscal year 2026, the parks department is fully on track to hit their primary targets," she said. "Currently, they have funded and committed resources for over 11,000 trees across the city."
She said that includes 10,000 tree giveaways for residential lawns, 500 for parks, and 400 along street sidewalks.
The city has also covered some 28 miles with cool pavement that emits less heat in City Council Districts 2, 3, and 5 and another five miles is planned this year.
Patiño said 75 homes will soon see the installation of cool roofs and 600 have been completed since 2022.
She said a city website can direct residents to locations to cool off, such as city pools, splashpads, and air-conditioned community centers.
Patiño said more shade shelters are also in the works for VIA bus stops.
District 5 City Councilman Ric Galvan, who chairs the community health committee, thanked Patiño and others for working to keep the city cool.
"Overall, I think the heat playbook is an incredible resource, and I really appreciate the office of sustainability working on this, as well as all the departments that are here and not here, who are contributing to make sure that we are addressing these needs," he said. "We know we are a hot city."
Galvan said he would also like to explore more closely on how the city and VIA can fund more shade shelters for bus stops
A heat map presented to the committee showed the city's hottest neighborhoods are on the West, East, and South Sides. UTSA helped produce the map based on a number of factors, including income, race, and relative heat measurement by NASA from space.
Other members of the committee include District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez, and District 1 Councilman Marc Whyte.
