Heat can be deadly, especially when communities are unprepared for it. Normally, air conditioning is a key technology that keeps people safe from this threat. But what happens when the power is out and the AC doesn't work — say, after a hurricane?
What's happening?
When Hurricane Beryl hit Houston in July, it caused widespread, long-lasting power outages, the Washington Post reported. A heat wave followed.
People exposed to these extreme temperatures experience heat stress, leading to conditions like heat stroke and also making existing medical conditions worse. In the worst cases, when someone is particularly vulnerable or can't find relief from the heat, it can be deadly.
The heat wave after Hurricane Beryl had a death toll. Luckily, high temperatures only lasted a couple of days, but a longer heat wave would have killed more people.
The Post developed a computer model to estimate the death toll of a longer heat wave during a power outage. In Houston, the prediction ranged from 600 to 1,500 deaths during a heat wave that would kill around 50 if the power was on.
Other cities in the U.S. are also unprepared and could experience major losses during a similar disaster, the Post asserted. Another study showed that Phoenix could lose around 13,000 people if an outage combined with a heat wave.
Unfortunately, this scenario could be a matter of when, not if.
"I don't think it's likely — I think it's an absolute certainty," professor Brian Stone, director of the Urban Climate Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told the Post.
Why is the heat/blackout combo important?
Heat waves are becoming more common and intense as the world heats up because of heat-trapping air pollution. Even people in previously safe areas may now be at risk, and in hotter areas, the risk has increased.
That means that many people are likely to suffer when this looming disaster strikes — especially since hurricanes are often followed by bands of hotter air that make heat waves more likely after the storm.
"It's a recipe for a pretty bad situation," Houston meteorologist Matt Lanza told the Post.
What's being done about possible outages?
Houston has started an investigation into its utility provider to find out why the power was off for so long and get it back faster in the future, the Post reported. However, cities across the U.S. are still vulnerable.
Clean-energy technologies like solar panels can help make houses more climate-resilient, while disaster relief zones can provide crucial, life-saving services. However, ultimately, the only way to reduce storms and heat waves is to get the Earth's temperature under control by limiting pollution — and that starts by getting the word out.
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