![]() Hondula thinks some of this can be reversed, but it will require a major shift in how the city grows in coming years, especially with summers only forecast to get worse. "All those machines are dumping heat into the environment," he says, creating what is known as the urban heat island effect. Hondula attributes about half of the city's warming to climate change and the other half to the built environment - the miles of asphalt parking lots and wide roads, the expanding sprawl of low buildings, plus the growing number of cars and air conditioners. Some with air conditioners say they can't afford to keep cool when the temperature soars. Surveys suggest more than a million people are too hot inside their homes. Hondula says roughly a third of people who live in the Phoenix metro area experience some kind of adverse health effect in the summer months. "We have more of these days that are at, near, or slightly above some of the key thresholds for public health," says David Hondula, an assistant professor at Arizona State University's School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. And as with other disasters, the most vulnerable are the elderly, the sick and the poor. than from all other extreme weather events. That effort includes trying to actually lower the temperature of the city.Īlready, more people die from heat-related causes in the U.S. Just as other places prepare for hurricanes, Phoenix aims to create a model program for coping with the temperature spikes and heat waves that scientists say are becoming more common across the country as the climate warms. Former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton deemed it a public health crisis, and the city has launched an overhaul of how it prepares for and deals with extreme heat. More than 155 people died from heat-related causes in the Phoenix area last year, a new record in a place where the number of such deaths has been on the rise. "We weren't sure for the first couple of days if he was going to make it." Joey Azuela sits with his grandfather Sam Andazola in the hospital after Azuela suffered heatstroke while hiking in the Phoenix summer. Doctors removed Azuela's blood with a machine to cool it. His body temperature was approaching 108 degrees. His mother, Alicia Andazola, arrived at the emergency room to find her son covered in ice. ![]() By the time the ambulance arrived, the asphalt had singed his arms and legs, causing second-degree burns. "Then, just - black."Īzuela collapsed in the parking lot. And I just remember thinking like, 'Man, I got to get to the car, just get to the car,' " Azuela says. "On the way down, it was just like a daze. By the time they reached the top, Azuela was weak and nauseous. It was not an unusually hot day for Phoenix, and they had gotten a later start than usual. Three summers ago, Azuela, then 14, and his father were hiking a trail in one of Phoenix's rugged desert preserves. ![]() ![]() "My body felt hot, like, in a different way," he says. The cities were graded using 46 metrics across five categories: Health Care, Senior Living & Housing, Affordability, Quality of life, and Transportation.There is a moment as heatstroke sets in when the body, no longer able to cool itself, stops sweating. com conducted a new study, “The Best and Worst Places for Senior Living.” The Caring Senior Living Report analyzes and ranks 300 cities and 50 states on the quality of senior living in that area. To help seniors discover the most senior-friendly locations around the country, Caring. Getting around the city is affordable and convenient because Phoenix has a variety of low-cost public transportation options, as well as four free circulator routes that travel to businesses and other bus stops around the city. Retirees who enjoy warm weather are sure to appreciate the mild winters in Phoenix as January lows stay around 44 degrees F. To accommodate the senior population, the city has numerous senior centers that offer enriching activities and valuable resources. The city has a total estimated population of 1,445,632 residents, and approximately 10% are in the 65 and over age group. Phoenix, Arizona, offers retirees stunning desert scenery and a vibrant metropolitan atmosphere with ample attractions to enjoy.
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