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Is extreme heat an extreme disaster?

caption: A pedestrian crosses a street holding an umbrella to protect herself from the sun in downtown Los Angeles during a heatwave Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
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A pedestrian crosses a street holding an umbrella to protect herself from the sun in downtown Los Angeles during a heatwave Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Phoenix, Arizona has crossed a troubling milestone. More than one hundred days of temperatures over 100 degrees.

Across the country, extreme heat kills more Americans than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined.

So why don’t we label is a disaster?

Guests

Katherine Davis-Young, senior field correspondent at KJZZ, reporting on public health and climate change.

Mayor Kate Gallego, mayor of Phoenix.

Also Featured

Tadd Keith, associate professor of planning at the University of Arizona. Co-principal investigator for the Center for Heat Resilient Communities.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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