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Democracy Dies in Darkness
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A DAY IN ONE OF D.C.’S ‘HEAT ISLANDS’




By Jordan D. Brown

, John D. Harden

, Hadley Green

and Allison Robbert

June 26, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.

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D.C. entered a scorching heat wave last week, with temperatures hitting 100
degrees for the first time in almost eight years. Thermometers are again
expected to hit the high 90s as climate change fuels rising temperatures across
the country.

In Kingman Park, the heat was especially acute. That’s because this Northeast
Washington neighborhood is a “heat island,” an urbanized area with less tree
coverage and green space that experiences higher temperatures than surrounding
locations. When neighborhoods have more impervious surfaces such as buildings,
sidewalks, vehicles and roadways, they absorb heat rather than reflect it. On
some heat islands, temperatures can be up to 10 degrees higher than other areas
with more tree coverage. Other such neighborhoods in D.C. include Brightwood and
Brightwood Park, Columbia Heights and Near Northeast.



Kingman Park, made up of about 17,000 residents, is especially at risk of
illness from heat exposure because of socio-economic factors such as income, age
and health ailments, according to a study from the D.C. Department of Energy and
Environment.

One out of five residents is either a child or someone older than 65, according
to census and D.C. health data. At least 10 percent of residents have asthma,
and about a quarter are living with obesity.



On Friday, The Washington Post spent a day in Kingman Park to capture how
residents were coping.

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MORNING IN THE GARDEN

Around 8:45 a.m., Tom Dautel biked to the Kingman Park-Rosedale Community Garden
to water his plants there.


A sunflower sways in the wind.Gardening supplies on the ground at the Kingman
Park-Rosedale Community Garden.Tom Dautel tends to his plants in the
neighborhood garden.A name plate on a garden plot faces the sun.An unused
plastic craft table for children.


Although he lives near Lincoln Park, the 48-year-old economist travels about a
half-mile to care for his plot of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers.

“On a hot day, we have to water them every day. But if it’s a little cooler, if
it’s in the 80s, we can go a couple days,” Dautel said.

He didn’t know Kingman Park was a heat island but said he noticed there are
fewer trees upon entering the neighborhood on his ride up North Carolina Avenue
and C Street.

“Lincoln Park just seems like it has more tree cover overall,” Dautel said, “So,
yeah, it doesn’t surprise me that this area is a heat island.”




COOLING OFF AT HOME

As temperatures rose throughout the day, the Smith and Rivera-Lopez family
blasted their air conditioning.

Tommy Smith, 38, sets up an inflatable pool in his front yard.

Sisters Nyla and Ariyah Smith take turns on their kiddie pool's slide.Marilyn
Rivera-Lopez watches her daughters play in the pool.

A Barbie doll floats in the kiddie pool.Ariyah Smith plays with bubbles on her
front porch.


On a hot day like Friday, 28-year-old Marilyn Rivera-Lopez said she, her fiancé
and five daughters try to go to the public pool, a water park or an aquarium,
where they will be indoors and out of the sun.

Rivera-Lopez prepared for the incoming heat wave by purchasing an inflatable
kiddie pool with a slide for her daughters to play in, but the delivery was
expected Saturday.

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The pool arrived a day early, to their surprise. Rivera-Lopez and her fiancé,
Tommy Smith, quickly blew up the pool so their oldest daughters, Nyla, 7, and
Ariyah, 5, could cool off in the 93-degree heat.

“I’m ecstatic for them. … We brought the water park to them,” Rivera-Lopez said.

Not everyone had a day in the water like the Smith and Rivera-Lopez family, but
people still looked for something to quench their thirst.




A SWEET TREAT

Around midday on 17th Street and Gales Place, people lined up outside of a white
pickup truck — not for ice cream, not for milkshakes, but for watermelons.


A watermelon sits in the bed of David Howard's pickup truck.A truck full of
melons rolls through the neighborhood.Andre Mitchell, 42, Sterling Queen, 63,
and David Howard, 84, sell watermelons.Watermelons for sale in the back of the
truck.A melon for sale is covered by shade.


David Howard, an 84-year-old retiree, drives from the District to Jessup, Md.,
and back to get jumbo watermelons that he later sells from the back of his truck
for $20. The D.C. resident has sold watermelons to the community on the same
block for the past 25 years with the help of his son and his friends.

“I’m an old man now, so I do this to keep myself active,” Howard said.

The North Carolina native said he is used to the heat. He kept himself cool as
the temperature rose to 95 degrees by sitting in a foldable chair in the tree
shade by his truck.




SWEATING THROUGH IT ALL

As the sun started to set, residents filled the Rosedale Recreation Center, one
of 134 designated cooling centers intended to help residents get out of the
heat.

The Rosedale Tigers run through practice.Desirea Brown, 12, shoots
hoops.Children play basketball.Desirea rests in the shade.

The afternoon sun makes shadows on Rosedale Recreation Center's turf field.


Despite a slight breeze, temperatures remained in the 90s. Parents relaxed in
the shade as children played on the basketball court and football field.

On the Mamie “Peanut” Johnson Field, the 8U Rosedale Tigers football team
practiced in the sweltering heat and ran drills. Demitri Wallace, the head
coach, said despite the high temperatures, it is a vibrant time for children to
kick off summer. The children are well-hydrated with ice water and ice cream,
Wallace said, but he wishes there were more resources to help youths stay cool,
like sprinklers.

“Especially playing football, we need it,” said Wallace, 36. “Playing any sport
in the heat. We definitely need some type of cooling station or something for
them.”

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ABOUT THIS STORY

Editing by Tara McCarty and Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn. Design and development by
Carson TerBush. Design editing by Christian Font. Video producing by Jessica
Koscielniak. Photo editing by Mark Miller. Data editing by Anu Narayanswamy.
Graphics editing by Chiqui Esteban and Tim Meko. Copy editing by Whitney Juckno.


MORE ON EXTREME HEAT

Use our tracker to see your city’s extreme heat risk.

How to stay safe: It’s better to prepare for extreme heat before you’re in it.
Here’s our guide to bracing for a heat wave, tips for staying cool even if you
don’t have air conditioning, and what to know about animal safety during extreme
heat. Traveling during a heat wave isn’t ideal, but here’s what to do if you
are.

Understanding the science: Sprawling zones of high pressure called heat domes
fuel heat waves. Here’s how they work. You can also read more about the link
between weather disasters and climate change, and take a look at what extreme
heat does to the human body.


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72 Comments
Jordan D. BrownJordan D. Brown reports for the Washington Post's local desk. She
is currently pursuing a master's degree in journalism at New York University. In
2023, she graduated from Morgan State University with a degree in multimedia
journalism. @jordybphotos
John D. HardenJohn D. Harden is a metro data reporter for The Washington Post.
He joined The Post after four years working for the Houston Chronicle as a data
and breaking news reporter. @jdharden
Hadley GreenHadley Green is a breaking news video editor for The Washington
Post. She produces original video stories and helps coordinate the Post's live
video coverage.@hadleybgreen
Allison RobbertAllison Robbert is a D.C. based photojournalist currently
pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photojournalism from the Corcoran
School of Arts & Design at GWU. Her photography mainly focuses on the depth of
daily political affairs, capturing breaking news with hints of the broader
political climate.


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