Maricopa County officials have confirmed five heat-related deaths so far this year and are investigating 165 more. Those numbers are about 37% higher than they were at the same point last year, in spite of cooler temperatures.
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health reports four of the five confirmed deaths involved substance use and two deaths were among unhoused people. All five deaths occurred outdoors.
Mark Lebario does street outreach with the Phoenix Rescue Mission. He said he sees firsthand how the Valley’s homeless population struggles in the summer.
“Being depleted from food and then sleep and not really resting, and then you’ve got addiction on top, or alcohol, it’s just a recipe for disaster,” Lebario said. “People are just dying out there.”
Maricopa County, the city of Phoenix, and other municipalities have made major investments in heat relief over the past few years. And the average temperature this June was more than three degrees cooler than last June’s average.
But more people may be vulnerable to extreme heat this year, as Maricopa County’s unsheltered homeless population continues to grow. Data from the latest Point-in-Time homelessness count shows the number of people living on the streets across the Valley grew by 28% this year as federal funding sources expired for more than 1,000 shelter beds.
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The Sonoran capital, along with three other cities, will become one of the first to receive solar panels through the government program, the governor says. -
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has issued a high pollution advisory in Phoenix on Friday, July 10. -
Attorney General Kris Mayes is again warning Arizona landlords of their responsibilities to keep rental units cool as extreme heat grips much of the state. -
Ellie Fini says we need to be paying more attention to what that pavement is made of — and what it might be doing to our health. -
The Valley is in for more brutal heat Thursday with highs ranging between 112 and 115. The good news is the high pressure system that’s causing these temperatures is on the verge of moving out.
