With summer approaching, state leaders are reminding Arizonans to be prepared for extreme heat.
The Arizona Department of Health Services reports there were 976 heat-related deaths statewide last year.
“No one is immune to the dangers of extreme heat,” Gov. Katie Hobbs told reporters Friday.
Hobbs is encouraging Arizonans to take precautions like staying hydrated and keeping window shades drawn as temperatures warm up. And she said Arizonans can call the state’s help line, 211, if they are in need of cooling centers or assistance with utility bills or air conditioning repairs.
State funding for 211 had been set to run out soon, but Hobbs said Arizona Public Service and other utility providers in the state have now pitched in funding to keep the service running through this year.
“This means that Arizonans will continue to have access to this critical resource, which obviously provides heat relief information, but a lot of other resources for Arizonans,” Hobbs said.
The state health department is also launching a new website, Heat.AZ.gov, to direct Arizonans to heat resources.
“The site will connect you with state agencies and nonprofits that will help you stay cool and safe during another season of extreme heat,” said chief heat officer Dr. Eugene Livar.
-
This summer was the hottest on record across the contiguous U.S. and a new report says that's attributable to carbon pollution. The impacts of climate change were especially evident in Arizona. -
A 5-year-old Peoria boy died Sunday after being left in a hot car. Now the boy’s parents are facing negligent homicide and child abuse charges. -
Now, one state lawmaker is demanding answers from the Arizona Department of Corrections as budget cuts put a stop to a planned HVAC overhaul across our state’s prison system. -
Greg Kats is the founder of the Smart Surfaces Coalition. He says Phoenix could be a model for climate change — instead of a victim of it. -
The climate and sustainability program at Discovery Partners Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign wants to find ways to get people heat information that is more specific to particular locations at particular times, rather than a static kind of map.
