that heat stress kills about 10 New Yorkers per year on average, and hundreds more die from conditions exacerbated by the heat, such as diabetes and heart disease. Black New Yorkers and those without air conditioning are at higher risk of dying from heat stress, the report found.
“Our communities are already more sick than anybody else,” she said. “We already have one of the highest asthma rates in the whole country. We can’t even enjoy being in the comfort of our own homes during an extreme heat event.”For the study, the researchers surveyed about 1,500 recipients from the Get Cool NYC program, as well as a comparison group of 900 New Yorkers who were slightly too young to qualify for the program.
“This program allowed residents who participated to [be] protected both against the effects of extreme heat and COVID-19, when gathering places and places where you would typically go to cool down were closed,” said Siobhan Watson, sustainability and climate resiliency planner at NYCHA.The cost of air conditioners can be a major impediment to owning one — and in public housing, those costs include fees charged by the government.