New York City Battles Rising Heat-Related Deaths, Struggles with AC Availability In Vulnerable Neighborhoods

In the wake of persistent heat waves, New York City officials are sounding the alarm on the city’s heat-related fatalities, with approximately 350 deaths annually linked to climbing temperatures. These statistics, underscored by a report from city health officials and cited by

CBS News

, include on average seven “heat-stress” deaths caused directly by heat and a further 340 deaths exacerbated by the heat’s aggravation of underlying conditions like heart disease.

With the summer’s heat turning up the temperature in homes, the most crucial risk factor for these fatalities is the abysmal lack of air conditioning. Officials note that Black residents are disproportionately affected, more likely to suffer fatal outcomes both directly from the heat and due to pre-existing health conditions. Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn emerge as the areas where residents are at the highest risk, as highlighted by the city’s Heat Vulnerability Index that factors in variables such as green space, income, and crucially, lack of access to air conditioning.

On the legislative front, the City Council is reviewing a controversial bill that would require landlords to curb indoor mercury by equipping residences with air conditioning, reported by

Crain’s New York

. The proposal, yet four years away from potential enforcement, is a complicated crossroads of public health necessity and the logistical, environmental, and financial challenges it drags in tow. “We’re not there with the equipment that’s on the shelf and ready to deploy today,” expressed Jennifer Leone, HPD’s assistant commissioner for sustainability, spotlighting the conflict with the city’s ambitious climate goals.

Yet, the urgency is underscored by New York’s Governor, Kathy Hochul, who referred to the extreme heat as the “Super Bowl” of weather phenomena, emphasizing the deadliness of heat above other weather risks. Amidst this, subsidization efforts like the Home Energy Assistance Program aimed at cooling aid run dry within weeks into summer, unable to meet the alarming need even though $22 million was allocated this year to roughly 27,000 residents. It’s a dire budgetary shortfall that leaves many without relief in the scorching seasons.

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