, Columnist
Phoenix Is Facing a Hurricane Katrina of Heat. It’s Not Alone.
A slow-motion catastrophe threatens the most vulnerable and stands as a cautionary tale for other cities.
The unhoused population in Phoenix is especially at risk to heat-related death.
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images
In his must-read book The Heat Will Kill You First, author Jeff Goodell talks to an Arizona State University infrastructure expert about the likelihood of a “Hurricane Katrina of extreme heat,” an event in which a power failure during a heat wave kills thousands of people, with government authorities dangerously unprepared.
The expert calls such an event about as likely as another intense hurricane hitting New Orleans: “It’s more a question of when, not if.”