[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__375788__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"375788","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/375788","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__375788__en","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0ae5601d8790ff50fca3cf23b9ac9170285f2f75823ebdc8d9cc054bc03a679b"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":"\u003Clink rel=\u0022stylesheet\u0022 media=\u0022all\u0022 href=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_rT06N1hzNwWZvlauEGw5ZNFVKBrR23ibx56HC8Lyx4M.css\u0022 \/\u003E\n"},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_svkrpusmrjSaaV8heRnsa8-TbrEsMLumxMQD8vstdR8.js"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__375788__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__375788__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EArizona, Texas, and Florida \u2013 states with spikes in Covid-19 cases \u2013 are all facing extreme heat this year, which is\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/18\/climate\/summer-weather-prediction.html\u0022\u003Elikely to be one of the hottest on record\u003C\/a\u003E. While heat may be a minor inconvenience for those with good building insulation and copious air conditioning, it\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7125937\/\u0022\u003Ekills an estimated 12,000\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0people a year in the United States.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EMost summers, people\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/climateandhealth\/pubs\/extreme-heat-guidebook.pdf\u0022\u003Ewho cannot afford air conditioning\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0and live in unbearably hot homes can cool off in public libraries, community centers, or malls. But the social distancing needed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 makes spending time at these places difficult, and many have been closed.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EConcerned about heat deaths, New York City is giving\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.newyorkled.com\/nyc-mayor-bill-de-blasio-74000-free-air-conditioners-for-the-elderly-and-most-vulnerable\/\u0022\u003E74,000 free air conditioner units\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0to low-income residents this summer.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBut many may be unable to run their air conditioners due to utility costs. Millions of people in the US are out of work, and fewer than half of US adults have enough savings to last 3 months; only\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pewsocialtrends.org\/2020\/04\/21\/about-half-of-lower-income-americans-report-household-job-or-wage-loss-due-to-covid-19\/#many-adults-have-rainy-day-funds-but-shares-differ-widely-by-race-education-and-income\u0022\u003E27 percent of Black adults do\u003C\/a\u003E. Covid-19-related job and wage loss has hit Latino and Black people\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2020\/05\/05\/financial-and-health-impacts-of-covid-19-vary-widely-by-race-and-ethnicity\/\u0022\u003Ehardest\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is the\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/aspe.hhs.gov\/basic-report\/approaches-low-income-energy-assistance-funding-selected-states#:~:text=The%20Low%20Income%20Home%20Energy,federal%20low%2Dincome%20energy%20assistance.\u0022\u003Eprimary federal source of utility payment assistance\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0for low-income households. However, Congress has\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/articles\/2018\/02\/21\/federal-funding-for-low-income-energy-assistance-highest-in-new-england-upper-midwest\u0022\u003Ehistorically allocated more funding to colder weather states\u003C\/a\u003E. In 2017, LIHEAP\u2019s national per capita spending average was US$10. However, in Arizona, one of the hottest states, it was $3.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe CARES Act provided\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.acf.hhs.gov\/ocs\/resource\/liheap-dcl-2020-10-cares-act-supplemental-funding-release-ffy20\u0022\u003E$900 million to LIHEAP\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0to assist low-income families affected by the pandemic. The\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.thirdway.org\/blog\/heroes-relief-extends-to-some-major-energy-environmental-needs\u0022\u003EHEROES Act\u003C\/a\u003E, stalled in the Senate, would provide a needed additional $1.5 billion.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBut as temperatures rise, the federal government will need to significantly increase support for programs like LIHEAP that help protect low-income people from life-threatening burdens of severe heat. Currently, LIHEAP is so underfunded that it only reaches 20 percent of eligible households.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ELIHEAP instructs states to target\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.acf.hhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/ocs\/comm_ocs_liheap_factsheet_nov2018.pdf\u0022\u003Eat-risk\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0populations, including older people, young children, and people with disabilities. But pregnant people are excluded, despite\u00a0\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamanetworkopen\/fullarticle\/2767260\u0022\u003Estudies\u003C\/a\u003E\u00a0showing a link between heat exposure and adverse birth outcomes. This should change.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAccess to cooling can mean life or death in extreme heat, and rising heat is inevitable due to climate change. More sustainable, equitable alternatives will be necessary as long-term solutions. For now, increasing LIHEAP\u2019s funding is one way to respond to the added threat the pandemic poses and help more families deal with extreme heat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]