Arizona Increasing Efforts to Combat Extreme Heat That Killed Hundreds Last Year

By Rick Martin May 03 2024, 21:14 PM EDT

The Arizona state government is now trying to address the state's legendary heat problem, with a new heat officer vowing to find ways to address the heat issue. This came at the heels of last year's record-breaking Arizona heat wave that killed approximately 900 people last year.

"We don't want to see that happen again," said the new Arizona heat officer Dr. Eugene Livar. "We cannot control it, even though we can control our preparation in response. And that's what we've been focusing on."

According to the Associated Press, Dr. Livar was appointed to handle the heat problem by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, and he has the credentials to back it up as a physician with the Arizona State Department of Health Services.

He is now the very first heat officer of any US state. This signals that Arizona "recognizes the serious public health risks posed by climate-fueled extreme heat."

Dr. Livar spoke at a press conference to kick off Arizona Heat Awareness Week and participated in a panel discussion with climate scientist David Hondul. The conference took place in Phoenix, considered America's hottest city, where 645 heat-related deaths were recorded last year.

The Arizona government has also vowed to increase coordination among its agencies regarding the heat problem. This comes as federal agencies also seek better ways to protect people from the dangerous heat waves that have been growing increasingly hot due to climate change.

Last month, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have presented a new online heat-risk system. This new system combines meteorological and medical risk factors with a seven-day forecast that is simplified. It is also color-coded for a warming world of worsening heat waves.

How Exactly Will Arizona Deal With the Extreme Heat Problem?

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has already outlined a response plan to address the extreme heat Arizona suffers as summer inevitably approaches. This includes increased heat preparedness and education campaigns to inform people more about what to do in the extreme heat.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, Governor Hobbs has been presented with several recommendations, such as investing more in heat mitigation, education and outreach, coordination of grassroots heat response with state agencies, policy changes, multilingual outreach, and more.

Maricopa County Hit Hardest in Arizona Heat Wave Last Year

Maricopa County, where the city of Phoenix is located, suffered the most from last year's extreme heat, especially in its suburbs, with heat playing a role in 645 deaths in the county last year, as NBC News pointed out.

Arizona officials stated that these deaths represented a 52% increase over the numbers in 2022 and have shown that the deaths spiked at the height of the heat wave in July when temperatures reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit or above. This heat wave showed how much climate change is affecting daily life in the US.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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