From the 18th to the 21st of July 2019, Hanoi was affected by a heatwave with a heat index peaking at 47.5 ◦C. Three days before, alerted by early warnings issued by the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change (IMHEN), the VNRC and GRC took anticipatory actions in preparing the opening of Red Cross cooling centres. Opening community cooling centres is one of the Early Actions selected for the “Forecast based Financing Ready” project. Another action consists in the retrofitting of habitations in slums (shading roof) and the procurement of fans with cooling systems. In addition, as income has been identified as a key barrier to access to cooling devices ownership and use, cash distribution to subsidize utility bills will also be also tested for the poorest households. The community cooling centres will be complemented by Red Cross cooling buses which will travel the main streets of Hanoi and direct the vulnerable population to the pre-identified centres.
The Early Action test has been showcased on local and National TV, Facebook page and in Newspapers as an innovative and relevant initiative. The test coincides with the launching at UN headquarter in New York of the RCRC Climate Centre Heatwave Guide for cities.
