The deadliest environmental threat to city dwellers worldwide isn’t earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding, or fire. It’s heat. By June this year, more than 1.5 billion people had spent a day in life-threatening temperatures above 103 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. In Phoenix, Arizona, where almost 400 people died from heat exposure last year—and where falling on the pavement can leave a third-degree burn—the question isn’t whether this summer’s heat will kill people, it’s how many.
The answer hinges, in part, on a small team the city created in 2021 to deliver aid during heat emergencies: handing out supplies, opening relief centers, and even driving a bus
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