Federal Government Gives 12 States $50 Million to Combat High Cooling Costs

According to a recent press release by the Health and Human Services administration, 12 states that have been experiencing heat waves were given $50 million in emergency energy assistance. The funds will go to lower income families who face raising cooling cost that is a direct result of the higher then average temperatures.

LIHEAP funding which is administered to states through the Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families' Office of Community Services to help eligible people meet their heating or cooling needs. In this case, these funds will go to states that have had much hotter than normal conditions in recent weeks.

Most people around the nation believe that Liheap is only available during the winter months for the brutal cold, which sometimes had a mind of its own here in the United States. It is hoped that this announcement will alert families to the fact that is it there year around to help families in need. No one has to suffer the effects of an uncontrollable heat wave.

Some of the states receiving this emergency energy assistance funding are Georgia and Oklahoma. These states have had heat waves and the largest percentages of lower income families. Other states receiving the aid are Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Severe heat can be devastating, to many people within our communities but especially for our children, and senior citizens. Many people on fixed incomes cannot afford to run the cooling systems to prevent heat related injuries and deaths.

This emergency aid would help states that have recently experienced unusually high temperatures and need additional resources to support low-income families through the rest of the summer.