Humanitarian aid organization on standby for heat related emergencies in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Direct relief is no stranger to natural disasters.

"These weather cause events often tornadoes hurricanes typhoons tends to be a concern," said president and CEO Thomas Tighe of Direct Relief.

But heat itself is a major risk factor.

"I think there are populations that are at higher risk for heat related illness so those that are very young like infants and small children as well as adults over 65," said director of pharmacy and clinical affairs Alycia Clark of Direct Relief.

"It ultimately kills more people than all the other ones combined," said Tighe.

The Santa Barbara based humanitarian aid organization is prepared to assist the community in the event of a heat related emergency.

This includes assisting the Santa Barbara office of emergency services as a cooling center if needed.

The organization’s headquarters is equipped with a solar panel system and batteries.

This provides resilient power even in the event of a power outage from the public electricity grid.

"It was also the first permanent micro grid in the continental United States … which means it’s powered by the sun … of the grid where to go out we do have air conditioning space it would be open as a cooling center for people to come in ... it's the least we can do," said Tighe.

The Direct Relief team believes It is important to be prepared in times of extreme heat, as it is the leading cause of death amongst all natural disasters.