Last month was the city's hottest June on record, with temperatures averaging 97F (36C), and scientists say Phoenix is on track to experience its hottest summer on record this year. Emergency rooms are seeing waves of patients with heatstroke, dehydration, and even asphalt burns.
Officials recorded nearly 120,000 heat-related emergency room visits in 2023, with at least 27 heat-related deaths in Maricopa county alone, likely underestimated. Sklar emphasized the urgency to consider heatwaves as disasters.
14 attorneys general petitioned FEMA to declare extreme heat and wildfire smoke as major disasters. Despite the overwhelming impact on populations, extreme heat is not officially recognized as a disaster by the federal government.
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