What’s different this year is we were one of the first cities to have overnight cooling centers. Last year, most of our cooling centers closed at 5 or 6 p.m., but that didn’t mean the heat stopped. We had a ton of 911 calls outside of business hours. When you’re on concrete and you’re living in an urban heat island, you’re exposed to the heat whether it’s 90 degrees or 100 degrees or 115 degrees. We need to have those same resources. So we went back to leadership and said we need to extend our hours.
It’s a lot of trial and error, and it can be hard. You might look at the data and think, “Okay, we’re getting a lot of 911 calls around here, let’s go do some outreach.” And then you get there, and you realize there’s actually not that much demand. It turns out they’re only getting calls because they’re close to a hospital. You have to be able to pivot on the fly. And honestly, the cooling center that we had before was a little too far away for people to go to. So we brought the cooling bus in there.
I think creating shade and cool spaces is important to making Phoenix more livable and sustainable. Our office’s mitigation team is working on long-term strategies to create shade and plant trees. But I think the focus has to be on how do we keep people safe? Planting more trees is great, but that’s not going to save you right now. That’s where I come in.
Some people see me there every day and thank me with tears in their eyes. I will not abandon you. Sometimes it’s life or death for these people. It may sound a little dramatic, but a bottle of water in someone’s hand is a lifesaver. And some people I gave rides to with the Homelessness Agency are now going to be in temporary housing. If we can create more affordable housing, they won’t need my help.
My favorite part of the day is going to the warehouse where we keep our heat kits. I put on some music, get focused, and start putting together my kit. I put in a hat, sunscreen, cooling towels, and liquid lip balm with SPF because lip balm in a tube melts. Wide-brimmed hats are a big hit. Everyone loves Hydro Flasks. We see a lot of people in socks and barefoot, so we give away shoes to anyone who needs them. The kits will be out and about quickly, helping people in need. I love that stuff.
—Asked by Camille Bromley
Image source: Getty Images
