By Christopher Flavelle
There’s a growing risk of major cities in the United States being hit by power failures and heat waves at the same time, researchers found — and the health consequences would likely be devastating.
Researchers looked at what would happen to indoor temperatures in three cities if a blackout overlapped with a severe heat wave. They found that at least two-thirds of residents in Detroit, Atlanta and Phoenix would be exposed to heat exhaustion or heat stroke if a heat wave overlapped with a blackout.