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In the southwestern United States, the city of Phoenix broke a record on Wednesday July 19. For 19 days, the mercury has not fallen below 43°C.
19 days in a row, at more than 43°C. It is a record that the Americans, however fond of records of all kinds, would have gone well. Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, is suffocating. The fifth largest city in the United States by population is deserted during the day. The inhabitants adapt to these difficult conditions, leaving their homes only very early in the morning and at sunset. “We gotta take the vampire way of life“, quips a resident.
New support techniques
The city’s emergency services have intervened a hundred times in recent weeks to save residents suffocating from the heat. In this context, firefighters have developed special handling techniques. “We place our infusions against ice. This allows the body of the perfused patient to be cooled. We also put people in an ice stretcher at the very place of intervention”explains Carl Chandler, captain of the Phoenix fire department.