In recent years, the severity and frequency of heat waves in India has increased, contributing to deaths across the country. As part of the response to this challenge, the state of Odisha launched awareness campaigns on how to cope with heat waves and other extreme weather events. So, what exactly was done to reduce the impacts of heat waves and how successful was the Odisha Government in saving lives? Saudamini Das from the University of Delhi asked these questions and carefully examined the evidence on impacts.