Health
Phoenix heat expert: 800,000 hospitalizations is worst-case scenario
Major Tim Smith, right, and volunteer Adrian Keller fill a cooler with water at a Phoenix heat relief station in 2021. Photo: Caitlin O'Hara/Getty Images
A new report revealing that half of Phoenix residents would require medical attention if a multiday power blackout and heat wave struck simultaneously has heightened local anxiety.
State of play: It's important for residents and local leaders to understand the dangers of extreme heat and grid failures and prepare for a worst-case scenario, Phoenix director of heat response and mitigation David Hondula, one of the report's authors, told us.
Heat wave and black out would hospitalize half of Phoenix residents
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Half of Phoenix residents would need emergency medical attention if a multiday blackout were to coincide with a heat wave, a new study revealed.
Why it matters: Heat waves are deadly even when people have access to air conditioning. Combine extreme temperatures with a blackout and the heat-related death rate would spike by 700%, according to the report published this month in Environmental Science & Technology.
400 promised homeless shelter beds aren't ready for summer heat
The lot where a homeless shelter will eventually be constructed. Photo: Jessica Boehm/Axios
More than 400 promised shelter beds are not ready to shield unhoused people from the Phoenix heat this summer.
Why it matters: Heat kills. Last year, 178 people experiencing homelessness died of heat-associated causes.
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