EMDR Therapy in Maricopa, AZ

Health officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County reported nearly 500 heat-related deaths this summer, making 2023 the region’s deadliest year on record when it comes to extreme temperatures.

In its latest weekly heat report, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health said there have been 469 confirmed heat-associated deaths so far this year, with an additional 153 deaths still under investigation.

That number surpasses the previous record set last year of 425 heat-associated deaths in the county.

Across the United States, extreme heat causes more deaths each year than any other weather event, including floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. That threat is expected to worsen in the years ahead, as studies have shown that climate change is increasing the frequency, severity and persistence of extreme heat events.

Arizona county confirms 7 heat deaths in 7 days

July 27, 202301:49

This summer, Arizona and other parts of the Southwest sweltered through weeks of temperatures well into the triple digits.

In Phoenix, which is in Maricopa County, residents endured 31 back-to-back days of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in July, a milestone that shattered the city’s previous heat record of 18 consecutive days above 110 degrees set in 1974.

Also in July, Maricopa County saw huge spikes in heat-associated deaths as daily high temperatures neared 120. In one week alone, from July 16 to July 22, there were around 150 heat-related deaths in the county, according to the report.

More than 60% of the confirmed heat-associated deaths in Maricopa County were in adults over the age of 50. People 50 to 64 were most affected by extreme heat, accounting for 29% of heat-related deaths in the county.

Health officials said individuals experiencing homelessness accounted for 44% of heat-associated deaths, while 45% of deaths were among the housed population. In 11% of the deaths, the person’s living situation was not known, according to the report.

White, non-Hispanic individuals made up 58% of the heat-associated deaths in the county, with Hispanic or Latino making up 23% of deaths and Black or African American individuals making up 13% of heat-related deaths in Maricopa County.

Health officials said 122 deaths occurred indoors, of which 92 were discovered with nonfunctioning air conditioning and 11 with no air conditioning present at all.

Even in nonfatal cases, heat still posed a major public health threat in Arizona. Hospital visits in Maricopa County spiked throughout July and early August, as temperatures soared well over 100 degrees, according to the report.

Denise Chow

Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.

Richard McHattie, the new chief information officer of Maricopa County, Arizona, started his career putting RFID chips in pets.

By Keely Quinlan

June 29, 2023

It’s now been just over a month since Richard McHattie became the chief information officer of Maricopa County, Arizona, and he has had quite the unique path to becoming the top tech official in the nation’s fourth-largest county.

Before becoming the top tech official of Maricopa County, which contains Phoenix, McHattie served for five years as chief technology and innovation officer at the Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court. In that role, McHattie managed the systems for processing paper and electronic court records, which he estimated was the largest document-management system in the state.

He said his team implemented new processes by using artificial intelligence and robotic process automation. Such emerging technologies, he said, were his main focus in transforming how the court did business.

Advertisement

“We can talk about all the cool technology that’s out there, but the only thing that really matters in the end is that we’ve delivered some new capability for our business to help them improve their service delivery or improve their impact to their customers,” McHattie told StateScoop.

Before spending 17 years with the county, though, McHattie started his career as an entrepreneur while attending college at Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

He said his parents — who traveled around showing dogs — came across a then-new technology that involved implanting RFID chips in dogs instead of tattooing their ears. McHattie’s family turned it into a business.

“We built that into a true identification and recovery system across the United States and Canada,” he told StateScoop. “It was really meaningful work, trying to recover lost pets and get them home safely. So we worked a lot with veterinarians and Animal Care and Control and humane society to really do everything we could to identify all these animals and bring them home safely.”

He said the experience instilled in him an ethos of being passionate about his work, a characteristic McHattie said he still carries with him.

Advertisement

“And I think to this day, that still sort of sits with me that the most compelling thing you can do is really have a purpose and a passion for what you’re doing,” he said.

McHattie’s appointment as CIO is a return to the county’s Office of Enterprise Technology, the department that provides technology support across more than 50 departments. Before joining the Superior Court, McHattie served as the county’s deputy and interim CIO.

Though technology has changed since then, he said the main focus for his team of more than 200 employees will still be on creating and enhancing a modern and responsive government.

“I have an incredible executive team here, who are very talented technologists who get why we exist,” he said. “And we exist to provide new and improving capabilities for our our departments so they can improve their service delivery, they can shrink costs, where appropriate to meet the county’s goal for fiscal accountability.”

For passion projects, McHattie said that there are a number of initiatives he’s excited to tackle. One is the launch of an online citizen self-service portal, a “one-stop shop” for government services. Another is continuing to automate processes to save time for employees and improve the ease-of-access to all county services.

Advertisement

“Anything we can do to transform in a digital perspective to enhance access to the county and enhance access to services is pretty exciting for us,” McHattie said. “And that’s kind of the journey we’re on right now.”

In This Story

PHOENIX — Maricopa County evictions are continuing to rise and could break the record at the end of October.

According to the county, 7,809 evictions were filed with the Maricopa County Justice Courts in September 2023. August also had high rates and sits as the third-highest month for evictions.

The record is 7,902, which was set in August 2005.

For the entire year of 2023 so far, there have been 61,526 eviction cases filed. The all-time high is 83,687 in 2005.

Of the 26 court precincts in Maricopa County, five had the highest number of evictions filed: Manistee (517), Kyrene (514), Maryvale (505), Moon Valley (481) and Encanto (386).

RELATED STORIES

A snowball effect

Presiding Justice of the Peace Anna Huberman oversees many eviction cases in court, and she said it’s because people are one crisis away from having no money.

“Even folks who usually can pay their rent live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. And so, anything that’s unexpected puts them behind and makes it so they can’t pay their rent,” Huberman said.

This can start a snowball effect that leaves someone out of a home. Huberman adds that the problem is exasperated since affordable housing is in short supply. So, if someone is evicted, they may have few other options to find housing again.

Another factor that can lead to more completed evictions is that Arizona has a fast process once the case goes to court.

“Everything can occur very, very quickly. From the time someone misses a rent payment to the time they can get an eviction judgment against them can be as soon as 20 days,” she said.

Renters can “cure” their eviction case, but that is accomplished by paying a certain amount of money. So, if a renter is being evicted due to a lack of funds, Huberman said they likely cannot pay their way out of eviction either.

All this adds up to a harder economy for renters, and it is being reflected in these eviction rates. Between inflation and the price of rent itself, families and people on fixed incomes (like seniors) are simply being priced out.

“I had a gentleman today who was waiting to get disability and was being evicted. It’s just very difficult to see these people are being left without a home,” she said.

She also points out that the areas with the highest rates of evictions are also some of the denser parts of the county that are lined with many apartment complexes.

But Huberman still said these eviction rates are not just a result of more people and remains concerned about the rental market.

“You know, as the courts we don’t have the solution to that. We can just try to apply the law as humanely as possible,” she said.

Share

Comments

The Arizona Repubic

The National Weather Service has issued a dust storm warning for Maricopa County that expires at 10:30 p.m. Aug. 31.

Pinal County also was included in the warning.

A wall of dust was extending along a line.

Severe weather:Thunderstorm, dust storm warnings issued for Maricopa County

For the latest watches and warnings, see our weather alert page.

A "haboob" typically occurs in Arizona during monsoon. From June to September, large dust storms can occur across the state as high winds pick up loose dust.

"Haboob" is an Arabic word that translates to "big, blasting winds." explained Andrew Deemer, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Phoenix and former linguist.

Terminology:When did we start using haboob to describe dust storms in Arizona

What should I do in a dust storm if I am driving?

The Arizona Department of Transportation has helpful tips for drivers who may get stuck in a dust storm while driving. The "Pull Aside, Stay Alive" campaign aims to save drivers from dangerous situations by providing tips to survive a blowing dust event.

More information on dust storm safety can be found at PullAsideStayAlive.org and safety tips for driving in rainstorms can be found at azdot.gov/monsoon

This article was generated by The Arizona Republic and USA TODAY Network using data released by the National Weather Service. It was edited by a staff member.

The month of July saw a record-breaking 31 days of continuous 110-degree heat in Phoenix — and as the heat rose, Maricopa County also saw the most eviction cases filed since 2008.

More than 7,000 eviction cases were filed in July, with the highest case numbers happening in north Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Ahwatukee, Tempe and west Phoenix. The average judgment for eviction cases for the month of July was $3,179.24, according to Maricopa County Justice Courts spokesman Scott Davis.

“I’ve seen my electric bill double. It’s always gone up but not this much,” Dominique Medina, co-executive director of Fuerte, which is working on the Rent is Too High initiative, told the Arizona Mirror. “That stuff leading to evictions should not be surprising to anyone.”

In June, the courts saw just shy of 7,000 filings, up 27% from the average number of filings Maricopa County has seen over the same time frame during the pandemic, according to Evictions Lab. However, an eviction moratorium was in place during the pandemic and suspended evictions for non-payment of rent due to COVID-19 related issues. Those protections ended in October 2020.

“People are getting evicted because they can’t afford the increasing rents,” said Ken Volk, president of Arizona Tenants Advocates. Rent in Arizona has skyrocketed as much as 80% in some areas from 2016 to 2021.

Not all eviction filings lead to a tenant being thrown out; up to one in three will be dismissed when tenants choose to pay and stay or the landlord does not pursue any court resolution, Davis said.

The dangers of an eviction during summer heat is worrisome for tenant advocates.

“This is inhumane, and our governor, our lawmakers, our cities, our counties on every level should be reacting and doing something about this,” Medina said. While many who are evicted will end up in new housing, the reality is that more evictions mean more people becoming unhoused and living on the streets, he added.

Volk echoed Medina’s sentiments, calling it a matter of “statewide concern.”

The solution both advocates are pushing for is rent control. Democratic lawmakers pushed a series of bills during the recently completed legislative session that would have scrapped Arizona’s ban on the practice and implemented a cap on rental increases across the state.

However, the bill was opposed by the state’s powerful landlord lobby and was never considered.

“The real issue is tenants can’t afford (rent). You’re bleeding them dry and there is only so much people can do before they’re living on the street,” Volk said. “How is it going to hurt the state to have rent control?”

Lawmakers did pass legislation that removed a rental tax levied by cities and towns on rental properties that was signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs, but Volk called it “crumbs.” Rental tax rates vary from city to city, but the average rate is 2.5%, or about $30 on a monthly rent of around $1,200.

Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has been attempting to tackle the state’s affordable housing crisis since early in her tenure, but has been shy about answering policy related questions related to her plans. Her spokesman, Christian Slater, was similarly reticent to speak about potential future action when asked about the state’s continued high eviction numbers and advocates pushing for measures such as rental control.

“As a former social worker, Governor Hobbs knows that ensuring Arizonans have secure, safe and stable housing is critical,” Slater said in a statement to the Mirror. “That’s why she successfully negotiated a historic $150 million investment in the Housing Trust Fund and $60 million to tackle homelessness, extended the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and is assisting families in paying off their cooling bills.”

“Moving forward, she is committed to addressing Arizona’s housing crisis and fighting for affordable housing for middle class families by expanding the housing supply so Arizona can be the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Slater said in response to the Mirror’s questions about what policies the Governor would support. Slater did not address the Mirror’s questions about if the Governor supports or does not support any form of rent control.

With some relief in the form of removing the tax and rent dropping slightly by late last year, renters may start feeling some relief. But advocates are still concerned as homelessness in Arizona, and specifically in the metro Phoenix area, is still on the rise as housing remains unaffordable for many.

Homelessness in Arizona increased by 21% from 2020 to 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“You have the same number of people coming into The Zone because more people are becoming homeless,” Volk said, referring to the homeless encampment near downtown Phoenix that the city recently began clearing out.

When asked what will happen if the heat, evictions and affordable housing issues in the state continue down the path they’re on, Volk had a quick response: “People die. Simple answer.”

SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST.