As the U.S. increasingly endures lengthy heatwaves, there’s a push for tenants to be protected from extreme heat — regulations similar to those many states have enacted for the cold.
By Ruby Mellen, The Washington PostHot weather in Fresno drove May Yang, 61, to a cooling center. After the center closes for the night, she returns home, takes a cold shower and sleeps on her living room couch. Her ground-floor, two-room apartment sits in direct sun for much of the day, making the inside unbearably hot, despite her air conditioner’s feeble attempts to cool it down.
Cold temperatures kill more people than hot temperatures. But the World Meteorological Institute says heat is the deadliest form of extreme weather - which the world is seeing more of due to human-caused climate change. In some places that have been hit by major heat waves in recent years, officials are working toward enacting maximum temperature requirements or ensuring tenants have access to air conditioning.Oregon launched a program to subsidize air conditioning, but “when the number of applications exceeded the number of devices available, the state paused the application process to make sure all current requests could be fulfilled,” said Amy Bacher, a communications officer at the Oregon Health Authority.
“I just wish that one year the city of Fresno will require people to change to cooler AC,” said Yang, 61, as she sat in a cooling center during record-breaking heat earlier this month. Temperatures in Fresno were an average of 10 degrees hotter than normal during the first half of July, according to National Weather Service data.
“Just because you have some kind of AC, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to keep temperatures at a healthy level,” Gabbe said.“People who live in lowest income households tend to spend a bigger share of their income on cooling costs,” Gabbe said. People sit in the shade at Mosqueda Park in Fresno as temperatures soar into the triple digits. it’s not yet clear who will shoulder them.
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