During excessive-heat warnings, the Salvation Army opens emergency relief stations around the Phoenix area.
Phoenix-area temperatures are expected to approach 120 degrees this week, with the National Weather Service issuing an excessive-heat warning for central Arizona. With the heat warning in place until Friday evening, the organization’s 11 locations will be open daily during peak hours.
Tim Smith, of the Salvation Army’s Phoenix Citadel Corps in downtown Phoenix, says those with access to air conditioning often don’t realize how hard life is without it.
→ Water Donations Needed As Deadly Heat In Phoenix Looms
"If you’re going from the air-conditioned car, to the air-conditioned store, to the air conditioned house, there’s a lot of people that’s kind of the way they live and so the heat isn’t as crucial of an issue," said Smith. "But for those who have to do a lot of walking, for those who are out on the streets, it really is a life or death situation."
Smith says about 100 people a day come in for shelter from the heat downtown, and that location also hands out hundreds of cold water bottles per day.
Those in need can visit a center for water, hats, lip balm and other supplies.
Tim Steffen of the National Weather Service says the heat wave will even stretch into northern Arizona.
"We could see highs in the low-to-mid 90s across the high terrain, and anywhere from 100 to 110 across the lower terrain, and even in the bottom of the Grand Canyon at Phantom Ranch we could see near 120," said Steffen.
Steffen says the high pressure responsible for the heat could be the first indicator of monsoon season in northern Arizona.
