That's the tally so far for the Valley's heat season, which typically runs from May through October, according to the most recent weekly heat mortality report from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. It's a reminder of heat-related illness as the region once again faces daily highs of over 100 degrees.
Of the five people who have died this year, two were between the ages of 35 and 49, one was 65-74, and two were 75 or older. The first reported heat death of 2023 occurred on April 11 when the high reached 99 degrees.
“Sadly, we’ve seen an increase in deaths related to heat every year since 2015," Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director at the county health department, said in a press release. "It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here: your body needs you to take steps to stay cool and hydrated. Every one of these deaths is preventable."
The summer heat is especially deadly for the city’s unsheltered residents. In 2022, 425 people died from heat exposure in Maricopa County, a number that has been steadily rising over the last decade. The majority — 56% — of those people were homeless.
At least three of the people who died from heat-related illnesses this year were homeless, according to the health department's report on heat deaths. But with pending investigations into 28 other deaths, that number could be much higher. All of the reported heat deaths this year occurred outdoors.
The death toll adds urgency to the ongoing housing crisis in Phoenix. While the city is trying to create more shelter beds, the area’s largest shelters had only a few dozen beds available between them in May. Approximately 700 people still live in the Zone, a homeless encampment in downtown Phoenix, and there are thousands of others who are homeless in Maricopa County.
The city is currently under court orders to clear out the Zone. But it’s unclear where people will go, given the lack of shelter space. Despite that, the city carried out its third sweep of the area on Wednesday. The cleanups started on May 10 with the second taking place on May 31.
How to find cooling stations in Phoenix
The city and county are opening 200 summer cooling stations, which provide free heat relief. You can search for locations on an interactive map.“Strengthening our community resources is crucial to reduce the public health impacts of extreme heat, and Phoenix is proud to be a major contributor to the regional Heat Relief Network,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a May 1 press release.
The city is also offering residents to sign up themselves or loved ones for wellness calls from its Cool Callers Heat Relief program. Volunteers with the initiative call residents to make sure they are safe and cool in their homes.
And activists across the Valley are gearing up to provide water and other aid to people living on the street.
In August of last year, Michael Felder was one resident of the Zone who died due to heat exposure. Elizabeth Venable, an organizer with the Fund for Empowerment, a homelessness advocacy organization, had brought him water and other gear the day before, she recalled.
“Water was not what Michael needed. He needed justice and housing,” Venable wrote last year on Facebook in memoriam of Felder’s passing.
