Okay. So, one day I decided to leave my apartment near Indian School Road. It was my first year living in Phoenix, so I had not experienced the summer weather. With confidence, I said to myself," California was sunny, so Arizona shouldn't be a problem." Little did I know I was in for a rude awakening. I threw on some low tops, opened the door, and headed down the cement steps onto a shaded sidewalk that led to the nearby bus stop. As I turned the corner, a gust of the hottest air, my face had ever experienced whooshed by. Do you know the Arizona memes? Melted cars, fire coming from faucets, the repurposed one with a dog sitting on a chair in a room on fire shakily stating," This is fine."? I had not learned of them yet. One block was all it took to become soaked in sweat, dizzy, and overheated.
Can you imagine what it is like to tolerate that for days or weeks on end? Have you ever had your AC break down in the middle of the summer in the desert? Or just shut it off to see what it was like out there? What if you were one of the evicted families or were in the backlog of unemployment when this viral mess began? The power company does not often take IOUs instead of payment, and that fiery ball in the sky waits for no man...
Fortunately, Hydration Stations, Cooling Centers, and Emergency Heat Relief Stations spread across Maricopa to help people in need. You will find a map with locations for all the services I have listed color-coded on the link below. If you click the layers (stack of paper) icon in the middle bottom of the window, you can check the boxes to add other things to the map, such as routes and stations for both light rail and bus. Check the Donation Locations box to find drop-off points for water and other necessities to help those in need!