Australia is the hottest place on Earth: were you prepared?

Australia made global headlines this week as the hottest place on Earth, but many Australians weren't prepared as they sweltered through record-breaking temperatures.

Extreme heat is marked as Australia's deadliest disaster, with more than 1,000 deaths in the past four years alone.

Australian Red Cross Urban Climate Resilience Program (UCRP) Program Lead Eilish Maguire says heatwaves should not been seen as "just a harmless part of life" in Australia.

"What we normalise today becomes tomorrow's risk. Extreme heat events are becoming longer, more intense and more disruptive, and without preparation they can have serious and lasting impacts on health, wellbeing and livelihoods," Ms Maguire said

"We saw this with the recent heatwaves across Australia: everyone is at risk during extreme heat, but some people face far greater danger. Checking in on neighbours, making a plan and knowing when and where to cool down can save lives."

Next Wednesday, 4 February, marks Extreme Heat Awareness Day, an initiative by Australian Red Cross and Sweltering Cities who are urging Australians to take extreme heat seriously and not dismiss it as just another hot day.

While often dismissed as "just summer, extreme heat poses a risk to everyone, especially people who are socially isolated, unwell, living with disability, working outdoors or without reliable access to cooling. Of those impacted by a heatwave or major power outage in the past 12 months, 72 percent believe communities need to do more to work together to prepare for and recover from disasters including extreme heat.

Sweltering Cities' Executive Director Emma Bacon said communities across Australia are already feeling the strain.

"Extreme heat doesn't affect everyone equally. People in poorly insulated homes, with disabilities, older Australians and those working outdoors are far more exposed," Ms Bacon said.

"We can't rely on personal resilience alone; we need safer homes, cooler suburbs, and heat-smart planning built into every level of decision-making. We have the policy and strategies, now we need the action and leadership."

Extreme Heat Awareness Day was co-founded by Australian Red Cross and Sweltering Cities to raise national awareness about the hidden and cumulative impacts of extreme heat and empower communities to prepare, adapt and stay safe. In 2026, the campaign expands its national coalition of partners, including the Australian Medical Association, Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience, Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Australian Local Government Association.

Australian Red Cross, with the support of IFRC, Zurich Australia and the Z Zurich Foundation, works to support communities in Western and South Western Sydney to be more resilient to the impacts of extreme heat via the Urban Climate Resilience Program (UCRP).

As part of Extreme Heat Awareness Day 2026, Australians are encouraged to ask themselves if they were prepared for this year's extreme heat, and to make a simple heatwave plan by:

Getting in the know
Speak to your GP about how heat may affect you and stay informed with Bureau of Meteorology warnings or personalised heat health forecasts at heatwatch.sydney.edu.au

Getting connected
Build support networks with neighbours, friends and family and plan who to check in on during heat event

Getting organised
Ensure you have enough food, water and medications, and plans for pets or animals

Getting packing
Prepare a cool kit with water, fans, spray bottles and a cooler bag with ice in case of power outages.

For more information and practical resources: redcross.org.au/extremeheat

To learn first aid skills: redcross.org.au/firstaid

For B-Roll, see here

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For media inquiries, case study and interview requests please contact:

Australian Red Cross: media@redcross.org.au or 1800 733 443

Sweltering Cities: Emma Bacon emma@swelteringcities.org / 0401 343 058

About Australian Red Cross

For 111 years Australian Red Cross has stood with communities every step of the way through natural disasters, from preparation to recovery - building resilience, delivering rapid support, and guiding long-term recovery with care and compassion. Through various initiatives we empower individuals and communities to stay safe and recover stronger. To meet the rising demand for disaster preparedness and recovery, we're working to double our community workforce of highly trained, trauma-informed volunteers.

About Sweltering Cities

Sweltering Cities is Australia's only national advocacy organisation working specifically on issues related to extreme heat. They are focused on the health and wellbeing of communities by advocating for better, climate-safe cities.

About the research

Some of the findings referenced in this release are drawn from Mapping heatwave-related mortality across 2,288 local communities in Australia: a nationwide time-series analysis, a comprehensive study examining the relationship between extreme heat and mortality across Australia. The research was conducted by the Climate, Air Quality Research Unit within the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, in collaboration with Chongqing Emergency Medical Center at Chongqing University Central Hospital and the School of Medicine at Chongqing University, and the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth).

The study analysed heatwave conditions and mortality data across 2,288 local communities to identify patterns, regional variation and populations at heightened risk during extreme heat events. By mapping heatwave-related mortality at a local level, the research provides critical evidence to inform public health policy, emergency preparedness and targeted heat-health interventions aimed at reducing preventable deaths as extreme heat events become more frequent and severe.

Some of the research in this release were commissioned by Six O'Clock Advisory and Australian Red Cross and conducted by Lonergan. Research in accordance with the ISO 20252 standard. Lonergan Research surveyed 2,011 Australians 18+. Surveys were distributed throughout Australia including both capital city and non-capital city areas. The survey was conducted online amongst members of a permission-based panel, between 26 June 2025 and 10 July 2025. After interviewing, data was weighted to the latest population estimates sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.