After a deadly heat wave last summer, metro Phoenix is changing tactics

PHOENIX (AP) — Terrified of being assaulted in a shelter, Pearl Marion couch surfed with family members and friends during last year’s blistering summer so she didn’t have to sleep outdoors.

This year, the 65-year-old woman plans to spend Phoenix’s dangerously hot summer nights in a former cafeteria at the city’s main library, sleeping in a chair, her head on a table. There’s cool air, chilled water and security guards to keep anyone from stealing her bus pass.

“I love this place,” Marion said in the space where a half-dozen other people napped and charged their phones. New arrivals were asked if they needed help with housing, substance abuse or air conditioning repair.

It’s one of two overnight spaces that opened in early May after Maricopa County saw a staggering 645 heat-related deaths last year, about 50% more than the 425 confirmed for 2022.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency in 2023 after metro Phoenix experienced a 31-day streak of temperatures reaching at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius). The high in Phoenix has already hit 100 F (37.7 C) several times this year.

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