A Case Study on the Heatwave Policy for Vulnerable Population due to Climate Change - Focused on the Elderly in Daegu City

The recent climate change has caused a variety of extreme weather events and threatened vulnerable populations in our society. This study focused on the heatwave policy for vulnerable population centered on the elderly living in Daegu city (65 years and older) to identify the practical problems and find improvement measures. The heatwave policy for vulnerable population mainly include the designation and operation of cooling centers, operation of disaster relief helpers, and intensive care of vulnerable populations. The results are as follows. First, cooling centers should be designated in consideration of high accessibility and openness, along with a clear statement of opening hours during nighttime and weekends. Second, the management system should be improved in order to solve the work overload of disaster relief helpers and promote the collaboration among them for a synergy effect Third, a preliminary demand survey would be needed for intensive care of vulnerable populations, and the budget should be efficiently used by ruling out unqualified beneficiaries.