What’s different this year is that we’re one of the first cities to offer nighttime cooling centers. Last year, most of our cooling centers closed at 5 or 6 p.m., but that didn’t mean the heat went off. We had a high number of 911 calls after hours. If you’re out there, living in the urban heat island effect, you’re there, whether it’s 90, 100 or 115. We need to have the same resources. So we went back to the leadership and said we need to extend the hours.
There’s a lot of trial and error, which can be difficult. I can look at the data and say, “Okay, I’m seeing a lot of 911 calls here, I’m going to do some outreach.” » So I go there and there’s no real need. It turns out the calls were because the hospital was close. You have to be able to adapt in the blink of an eye. I’ll be honest, we used to have cooling centers that were a little too far away for people to get to. So we brought the cooling bus to them.
I think that providing shade and cool spaces is important for a more livable and sustainable Phoenix. That’s what our office’s mitigation team is working on: long-term strategies for shade and tree planting. But what I need to focus on is how to keep people safe. Planting more trees is great, but it won’t save you today. So that’s where I come in.
There are people who are crying and thanking me because they see me there every day. You know, I’m not going to abandon you. It’s a matter of life and death for these people sometimes. It may sound a little dramatic, but a bottle of water in someone’s hand can save lives. And then there are people who I’ve put in a vehicle with our Office of Homeless Solutions, and now they’re going to go to temporary housing. If we could create more affordable housing, then I wouldn’t be needed.
My favorite part of the day is going down to the warehouse where we keep the heat kits. I turn on some music, get into an area, and start making kits. We put in hats, sunscreen, cooling towels, and SPF liquid lip balm, because lip balm in a tube melts. Our wide-brimmed hats are extremely popular. People love them. Hydro Flask BottlesWe provide shoes to people who need them because we see a lot of people in socks or bare feet. I know these kits will be shipped and will be of immediate use to someone who needs them. I love doing this.
—As told to Camille Bromley
Image source: Getty Images
