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Chicago Unveils 739-Cup Memorial for 1995 Heat Wave Victims

The art installation highlights ongoing enhancements to the city’s emergency alert system with organizers demanding improved protections for elderly residents

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Overview

  • Quinn Chapel AME Church and People’s Response Network set up 739 cups of water at 24th and Wabash Avenue to honor each life lost in the five-day 1995 heat wave
  • City officials from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications spotlighted Notify Chicago for real-time heat and weather alerts during the 30th-anniversary events
  • Community groups hosted film screenings and workshops this week to educate residents on heat safety and advocate for expanded cooling resources in underserved neighborhoods
  • Emergency Management Services manager Kaila Lariviere emphasized that coordination, collaboration and communication lessons from 1995 continue to shape Chicago’s summer preparedness
  • Advocates used the anniversary to call for stronger safeguards and equitable support for elderly Black and Latino residents most at risk in extreme-heat emergencies