PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Six people have died of heat-related causes this year in Philadelphia, during a summer with 25 days where the high temperature has reached or surpassed 90 degrees.
Decades ago, dozens of heat deaths were reported each summer. Since then, a citywide strategy offering information and heat-relief services has helped to reduce the toll.
In 1993, 118 people in Philadelphia died from the heat. The city that year widened its definition of heat deaths to include not just hyperthermia – an elevated body temperature – but underlying conditions.
That year in Philadelphia, there were 40 days with high temperatures at or above 90 degrees, including two days with highs at or above 100.
In 1995, the city created its Heat Health Emergency declaration system, where they activate numerous measures including mass notifications giving resource information by text and email, extended hours for cooling centers, and the curtailing of utility shutoffs for those who have not paid their bills.
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In the last ten years, there have been 37 heat-related deaths.
“It’s a significant drop, and I think that’s through education,” said Nolan Lawrence, the director of the senior helpline at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.
He said when the city declares a Heat Health Emergency, PCA opens its hotline.
“People can call in and say, ‘Hey, I’m hot. Is there a place that I can go cool down?’ And we can direct you to your nearest senior center or library, [plus] SEPTA has cooling buses,” Lawrence said.
“A lot of senior citizens remain in their home without air conditioning. A lot of them are homebound, and the temperatures in the home can actually exceed the temperatures outside.”
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Lawrence said calls to the heat line (215-765-9040) are already up 48% over last year.
He added that their messaging about cooling centers, and their work to encourage people to check on elderly relatives and neighbors, has increased awareness of the dangers of heat.
“All of the news coverage has definitely educated the public a lot better,” said Lawrence.
“I can say anecdotally that most of our calls will reference having seen us somewhere on the news, or hearing about us on the radio or on an online article.”
A study by Brown University in 2018 concluded the city’s coordinated heat response has prevented an average of 45 heat-related deaths each year.
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