Miami study underway to measure the impact of scorching summer heat on vulnerable residents

An effort is underway to precisely measure how Miami's scorching summer heat is affecting residents in some of the area's most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Debra Davis, 73, an Overtown apartment renter, described the experience of trying to cool her home. Despite a floor-mounted air conditioning unit reading 63 degrees, Davis uses "a small army of fans" throughout her home.

"I do the best I can," Davis said. "It's like torture, you know, especially when I go to bed at night and, at a certain age, you know, you get hotter," she added.

The cost of running the A/C is exacerbating the problem. National inflation figures indicate the cost of electricity rose nearly 6% over the last year.

Overtown community advocate Glennesha Campbell stated, "I personally watched my utility bill go up by a hundred dollars in just a month's time."

Catalyst Miami is one of several community-based organizations working with the city of Miami to measure the heat's impact on residents' health. The group is currently reviewing data collected by sensors placed in dozens of homes in neighborhoods such as Overtown, Little Haiti, and Liberty City.

Nicole Crooks, Community Engagement Manager in Overtown for Catalyst Miami, said the study is focused on the effects of heat exhaustion on sensitive groups.

"The heat exhaustion: what does it do to elders, what does it do to children, what does it do to pregnant people?" Crooks asked. She also noted that nearby development is contributing to the issue, explaining, "Every building that goes up increases the heat index even more in the communities."

The goal of the project is to develop solutions, which could include planting more trees, adding green spaces, and enabling access to solar panels for these communities.

While researchers study the health data, Davis offered her own simple answer to the heat's effects: "[my] anxiety kicks up," she said over the whir of fans in her living room.