Red Cross volunteers work to combat heat-related deaths at Phoenix mobile homes

In Phoenix, Ariz., a disproportionate number of indoor heat-related deaths happen in mobile homes. Red Cross volunteers are working to change that. JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: Extreme heat kills hundreds of people in and around Phoenix, Arizona, every year. When those deaths occur indoors, nearly a quarter of the time they're in mobile homes. Mobile homes make up only 5% of area housing. From member station KJZZ, Katherine Davis-Young reports on why that risk is so high. (SOUNDBITE OF DOORBELL CHIMING) UNIDENTIFIED VOLUNTEER #1: Hello, hello. UNIDENTIFIED VOLUNTEER #2: Hi. It's Red Cross. KATHERINE DAVIS-YOUNG, BYLINE: It's a sunny Saturday morning, and volunteers with the American Red Cross are knocking on doors in a Phoenix mobile home park. UNIDENTIFIED VOLUNTEER #2: We just want to make sure you stay hydrated, check on a neighbor and know that there's cooling centers nearby. DAVIS-YOUNG: The Red Cross often provides relief after fires or hurricanes. But in this case, they're here to respond to heat, says Edgar Olivo, CEO for the organization's Arizona and New Mexico branch. EDGAR OLIVO: You're not thinking of it as a disaster. You're just thinking of it as a really hot day. It's just a dry heat. Those are the comments that we tend to hear. DAVIS-YOUNG: Arizona's summers have always been hot. But climate change is driving longer and more extreme heat seasons. And Olivo says, as far as the Red Cross is concerned, this qualifies as a disaster. …