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How heat is killing people who live in manufactured homes : NPR
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- An NPR and Boston University investigation reveals that heat kills roughly 9,000 Americans annually, a figure more than five times higher than official statistics indicate, with residents of manufactured housing facing significantly higher risks.
- Research in Arizona, particularly Maricopa and Pima counties, shows mobile home residents are six to eight times more likely to die from heat-related causes due to factors like poor insulation, aging housing stock, and high electricity costs.
- Many manufactured homes are old, poorly insulated, and located in heat-prone areas with limited shade, while residents often face financial barriers to maintaining cooling systems or paying high utility bills.
- Complicated ownership structures, where residents own homes but not the land, limit access to traditional loans for repairs and improvements, leaving residents vulnerable to heat risks and reliant on landlords.
- Efforts are underway in Arizona to improve conditions through legal changes, home upgrades, and education, but experts emphasize the need for expanded programs and a shift in understanding that heat dangers also occur indoors.
