Seniors are migrating to states that face America's most extreme heat

July 19, 2023 at 10:07 PMSUN CITY, Ariz. - It was 6:15 p.m., 110 degrees, the speakers were playing "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner and the seniors of suburban Phoenix were blissfully arm-pumping their way around the walking pool.

Phoenix saw a record-breaking 19th consecutive day above 110 degrees on Tuesday. And while some retirees have the resources to cope with scorching temperatures, others remain much more vulnerable - even as demographic data shows that this group continues to gravitate to sunny and warm parts of the country that are in the crosshairs for extreme heat.

Many who lost power moved to hotels or stayed with relatives as the temperatures inside their homes soared, residents said. Robert Steffen and his wife, Gretchen, took refuge at his son's house in Chandler for the night. When they returned Monday morning, they said the temperature inside their home was in the mid-90s.

The combination of rising electricity demand and surging heat could be disastrous. Recent research found that in a city such as Phoenix, blackouts during a heat wave could kill thousands of people. Sitting barefoot in a chair with the front door of his motel room open on Saturday, Joseph Sull couldn't ever remember being this hot. The 76-year-old has lived in southwest Florida for nearly 20 years, and is used to sweltering summers, but this year's historic stretch of heavy humidity has been "brutal" and has prevented him from spending time outside, like he usually loves to do.

In Phoenix, doctors say they regularly see elderly patients who suffer from heat stroke and burns once temperatures surpass 100 degrees. Diabetic patients who suffer from neuropathy and can't feel their feet sometimes walk out onto hot surfaces, suffering serious burns, they said. Nearly two-thirds of the 425 heat-associated deaths in Maricopa County last year were individuals age 50 or older.

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