Extreme heat and heat waves are often understood as meteorological events conceptually and practically distinct from dramatic weather disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods. This differentiation may be due to the decorous behavior of heat as a hazard; in most cases, heat does not cause visible infrastructure damage, destroy housing, or invoke costly recovery efforts. Yet extreme heat is one of the leading meteorological causes of morbidity and mortality in post-industrial countries, with death tolls far greater than most other meteorological disasters combined. This session will examine the circumstances under which extreme heat events rise to the level of a ‘disaster’, and the political and policy implications of using ‘disaster’ as a label. We invite presentations discussing the underexamined role of co-occurring hazards in creating large-scale heat emergencies, including technological failures (e.g., power outage, water contamination) and multi-hazard events (e.g., extreme heat following hurricanes or during long-term drought.)  We also aim to showcase work exploring how social, physical, and economic conditions, including social isolation, poverty, and even the built environment, can amplify the effects of extreme heat from meteorological reality to human disaster.

- Indicates paper has been withdrawn from meeting

- Indicates an Award Winner