Scientists fear thousands of deaths in 'uninhabitable' city if power cut hits
Half of residents in a city declared 'uninhabitable' would need emergency care if power went out during a heatwave.
Meteorologist Laura Tobin, said that Phoenix, Arizona, has become "one of the first" places in the world to be deemed "uninhabitable without aircon".
The South-Western city is currently in the middle of a severe heatwave with yesterday marking 19 days straight of 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) or more.
With these excruciating temperatures, aircon will have to be run almost continuously putting immense strain on the city's power grid. This week the region's two largest utility companies broke records for the most amount of energy customers used at once.
Scientists found that a multi-day power outage could lead to over 50 per cent of the city's residents needing emergency care and could lead to 13,250 deaths.
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A heatwave combined with a power outtage could be fatal (AFP via Getty Images)“In hot cities, air conditioning is a critical lifeline in the summer,” said David Hondula, director of Phoenix’s Office of Heat Response and Mitigation and one of the study’s co-authors.
Thankfully, Mr Hondula emphasised he does not expect this scenario will actually happen.
The report - How Blackouts during Heat Waves Amplify Mortality and Morbidity Risk - serves as a warning on the impact this unprecedented weather is having.
No other major city – defined as the 25 most populous in the United States – has had any stretch of 110-degree (43.3-degree) days or 90-degree (32.2-degree) nights longer than Phoenix.
This heatwave led to local electricity providers Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project (SRP) reporting record usage.
A Phoenix Fire Department firefighter uses a hose line to extinguish a Ford F150 pickup truck that caught fire during a record heat wave (AFP via Getty Images)“We’re one of the fastest-growing areas of the U.S., so it’s not too surprising to see our peak demand needs increasing year over year,” said Pam Syrjala, SRP’s director of supply, trading and fuels.
She added: “Air conditioning is probably one of our single largest loads."
Meteorologist Ms Tobin, known for her work as a weather broadcaster on ITV's daily news programme, Good Morning Britain, made the bold statement during the show on Wednesday morning.
She pointed to a luminous, multi-coloured map displaying the extreme heat across America and emphasised the significance of the ongoing heat dome in the western region.
A person drinks a bottle of water while walking in "The Zone," a vast homeless encampment where hundreds of people reside (AFP via Getty Images)The pavements in Phoenix have reached a staggering 71 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Fahrenheit), while nighttime temperatures have barely dipped below 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) for days.
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Ms Tobin said: "Phoenix has broken a record, they have had 19 days where they have had consecutive temperatures above 43 Celsius, 110 Fahrenheit. They are one of the first cities in the world to become uninhabitable unless they have air conditioning. And many areas don’t”
The phenomena El Nino has arrived, which is behing the extreme heat leaving some 80 million Americans under excessive heat warnings.
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