The life-threatening dangers posed by a combination of extreme heat and a lack of cooling facilities were made apparent by the numbers of deaths among people who recently took part in a popular traditional pilgrimage in India. Temperatures in the holy city of Mecca soared well above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, contributing to 1,301 deaths. Ariane Middel, an associate professor in the School for Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Fulton Schools, and ASU’s Urban Climate Research Center, is quoted about what is both effective and ineffective in protecting people exposed to hot environments for extended periods of time.

See also: Is air conditioning enough? Why extreme heat can still put you at risk, ABC News, June 21
Middel says neither U.S. citizens nor government leaders are taking the deadly threat of extreme heat seriously enough