Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20220530

A28 U.S. NEWS
Dialuna 30 Mei 2022

Deaths of 3 women in early heat wave raise questions, fears

she visited, including in one assistance, to enable that but
unit where heat sensors hit we don’t do that for cool-
102 degrees. ing,” said Gregory Wellenius,
“These are senior residents, a Boston University profes-
residents with health condi- sor of environmental health
tions (and) they should not who has studied heat-related
be in these conditions,” Al- deaths. “But subsidies for
derman Maria Hadden said cooling are really controver-
in a Facebook video shot out- sial (because) for many peo-
side the apartments. ple cooling is seen as a luxury
Part of the problem, experts item.”
say, is that communities na-
tionwide are still learning In Chicago, Hadden said the
how deadly heat can be. It building’s management com-
took the sight of refrigerated pany believed it was not al-
trucks being filled with dead lowed to turn off the heat and
bodies after Chicago’s 1995 turn on the air conditioning
heat wave to drive home the until June 1, because of the
message that the city was city’s heat ordinance. But
woefully unprepared for a while she said the ordinance
silent and invisible disaster has no such requirement, the
that took more than twice as explanation may at least be
many lives as the Great Chi- a signal that the ordinance
cago Fire of 1871. should be amended to bet-
ter protect vulnerable people
That realization led to a sys- from heat.
tem in which city workers Wellenius said statistics show
call the elderly and frail and that while well over 80% of
turn city buildings into 24- homes in cities such as Dallas
hour cooling centers when and Phoenix have air condi-
CHICAGO (AP) — Tem- can strike just about any- Examiner’s office has yet to temperatures become op- tioning, the percentage is far
peratures barely climbed into where, don’t only fall in the determine the causes of death pressive. lower in cities like Boston
the 90s and only for a couple height of summer and need for the three women whose What happened this month and New York.
of days. But the discovery of not last long. bodies were found in the is a reminder that the safe- And in the Pacific North-
the bodies of three women “Hotter and more dangerous James Sneider Apartments guards in place to make sure west, the percentage is even
inside a Chicago senior hous- heat waves are coming ear- on May 14. But the victims’ people don’t freeze to death lower, something that came
ing facility this month left the lier, in May ... and the other families have already filed or because they have not paid into stark relief in Oregon,
city looking for answers to thing is we are getting older plan to file wrongful death their heating bills often do Washington and western
questions that were supposed and more people are living lawsuits against the compa- not exist to prevent people Canada last June, when tem-
to be addressed after a longer alone,” said Eric Klinenberg, nies that own and manage the from overheating in their peratures climbed as high as
and hotter heat wave killed a New York University so- buildings. homes. 118 degrees Fahrenheit, kill-
more than 700 people nearly ciologist, who wrote “Heat The City Council member “We have nothing for air ing 600 people or more.
three decades ago. Wave: A Social Autopsy of whose ward includes the conditioning,” Hadden said. There is encouraging news.
Now, the city — and the Disaster in Chicago.” about neighborhood where the One expert isn’t surprised. “More people have air con-
country — is facing the re- the 1995 heat wave. “It’s a building is located said she “We recognize people need ditioning and we are more
ality that because of climate formula for disaster.” experienced stifling tempera- heating in cold weather and aware of the health risks of
change, deadly heat waves The Cook County Medical tures in the complex when set up programs, financial heat waves,” Klinenberg said.

Critical fire condition warnings issued across US Southwest

(AP) - Warnings of criti- Kansas, Nevada, New Mex- meteorologist. battled a wind-driven fire into Arizona on Saturday af-
cal fire conditions blanketed ico, Oklahoma, Texas and The strong winds could fan that burned 9 square miles ternoon.
much of the U.S. South- Utah. Those conditions are flames and cause the fire (24 square kilometers) of The fire forced the evacua-
west on Saturday, as crews combination of strong wind, to jump containment lines grass, brush and salt cedar tion of a recreational vehicle
in northern New Mexico low relative humidity and dry and race forward, said John about 14 miles (22.5 kilo- park after starting Thursday
worked to stop the growth vegetation. Chest, a fire operations man- meters) southwest of Parker, and was 44% contained, of-
of the nation’s largest active The return of return of drier ager. Arizona. Winds up to 30 mph ficials said.
wildfire. and warmer weather with forced the California blaze The cause of the fire was un-
The 7-week-old fire, the stronger winds posed a threat “Imagine traveling in your to jump the Colorado River der investigation.
largest in New Mexico his- of increased fire activity over car and the fire can outpace
tory, has burned 491 square the Memorial Day weekend, you. That’s the kind of ex-
miles (1,272 square kilome- prompting officials to urge treme fire behavior that we’re
ters) of forest in rugged ter- the public to secure vehicle talking about,” Chester said.
rain east of Santa Fe since chains and to be careful with Nearly 3,000 firefighters and
being started in April by two possible fire sources. other personnel were as-
planned burns. ”The last thing we need right signed to the fire, which was
Crews were patrolling par- now is another ignition,” said contained around 48% of its
tially burned areas and clear- Jayson Coil, an operations perimeter.
ing and cutting containment section chief. Initial estimates say the fire
lines, including primary ones Forecasts called for wind has destroyed at least 330
near the fire as bulldozers gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph), homes but state officials ex-
scraped backup lines farther with critical fire conditions pect the number of homes
away. continuing into Monday, and other structures that
The National Weather Ser- followed by more favorable have burned to rise to more
vice issued red flag warnings weather later in the coming than 1,000 as more assess-
of critical fire conditions for week, said Bruno Rodriguez, ments are done.
parts of Arizona, Colorado, the fire management team’s Elsewhere, 150 firefighters