Article Summary –
The article highlights the vulnerability of homeless and low-income individuals, particularly those living in mobile homes or aging RVs, to heat-related deaths due to insufficient cooling. It underscores the inequities in energy access, noting that many victims are from marginalized communities such as Black, Indigenous, or Latino groups. The article also discusses various legislative and nonprofit efforts to improve access to cooling systems, while pointing out that many renters still face financial barriers to using air conditioning, and the federal assistance program for energy costs is underfunded.
Mexican farm worker Avelino Vazquez Navarro lacked air conditioning in his motor home where he died in Washington with temperatures in the triple digits.
The 61-year-old spent years working near Pasco, Washington, sending money to his family in Nayarit, Mexico. Now, his family is raising funds to bring his remains home.
“If this motor home had AC, it most likely would have helped,” said Franklin County Coroner Curtis McGary, who determined Vazquez Navarro’s death was heat-related.
Most heat-related deaths involve homeless people living outdoors. Those who die inside without sufficient cooling are also vulnerable, typically older than 60, living alone, and with limited income.
Many victims are Black, Indigenous or Latino, like Vazquez Navarro. “Air conditioning is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Mark Wolfe from the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association.
Mobile homes and aging trailers are especially likely to lack proper cooling. Nearly a quarter of indoor heat deaths in Maricopa County, Arizona, occurred in such dwellings, turning into broiling tin cans under the desert sun.
“Mobile homes heat up because they often lack proper insulation and are made of metal,” said Dana Kennedy, AARP director in Arizona.
Research shows mobile home dwellers are particularly at risk in hot Phoenix, with 113-degree Fahrenheit (45 Celsius) weather forecast for this weekend.
“People are exposed to the elements more than in other housing,” said Patricia Solís from the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience at Arizona State University. A new Arizona law now allows residents to install cooling methods like window units and shade awnings.
In Maricopa County, 156 of 645 heat-related deaths last year occurred indoors due to non-working or turned-off cooling units.
One victim, Shirley Marie Kouplen, died in her Phoenix mobile home when her electricity was cut off.
Arizona’s regulated utilities have been banned since 2022 from cutting off power during the summer. Arizona Public Service, providing electricity to Kouplen’s home, could not confirm if she had an account at her time of death.
Arizona is among 19 states with shut-off protections. Nearly 20% of very-low income families lack air conditioning, especially in areas like Washington where it wasn’t commonly installed before stronger and more frequent heat waves.
Nonprofits in hotter areas like Arizona’s Wildfire raised money to buy over $2 million worth of air conditioning equipment to help 150 households statewide.
Laws in Phoenix require landlords to ensure cooling units lower temperatures appropriately. Palm Springs, Las Vegas, and Dallas have similar ordinances.
Most renters pay their own electricity costs, often struggling to afford cooling. A new report estimates the average cost to keep cool from June to September will grow by 7.9% this year.
Wolf noted the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is underfunded, with 80% allocated to heating homes in winter.
Kouplen was buried in Phoenix at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona alongside her husband.
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