CHANDLER, AZ — As temperatures soar across the Valley, some reflect on what it’s like getting through the day when it’s more than 100° outside.
Douglas Brooks says when "you’re on the streets during this brutal heat, you’re not living", but merely trying your best to survive the day.
That was his reality until he walked into The Salvation Army cooling center in Chandler near Arizona Avenue and Pecos Road.
“I knew I was going to either end up in my car or dead,” said Brooks.
Brooks tells ABC15 he was homeless and couldn’t escape the heat.
“I felt alone. Scared mostly. You get up and you feel sick already. Just torture.”
Brooks was living in his car for about a year. He lost his job after a hernia made it too painful for him to go to work, and Brooks didn’t have the resources to get help.
“I have liver cirrhosis, too, so they didn’t want to touch it,” he told ABC15.
So he endured months surviving the scorching Valley summers. The pavement, at times, burned through the soles of his shoes.
“During the day I could not be in my car at all. It was way too hot. You’re looking for anywhere to just sit down and be in the shade,” said Brooks.
But the search stopped when Brooks came to The Salvation Army in Chandler.
“They provide a cot, food, drinks, water, obviously. Make sure you’re hydrated. They have medical come around.”
“We’re also lucky to have a shower trailer. So we provide showers and laundry service,” added Captain Jeff Williams, with The Salvation Army.
Captain Williams says the Chandler location is usually always at capacity.
“We’re one of the busier heat relief centers. We open up Monday through Friday…so not just on excessive heat days. We can reach upwards of 80 people a day,” said Williams.
Since May, The Salvation Army has provided heat relief to more than 47,000 people in Arizona, and has given out more than 100,000 bottles of water.
“You really can die from the heat,” Brooks told ABC15.
The Salvation Army is also giving Brooks a new beginning, by helping him get the life-saving surgery he needed.
“I’m a little stubborn. I didn’t accept their help at first, but I came around to it and I’m glad I did," said Brooks.
Brooks is now out of the heat and well on his way to finding a permanent home.
“They definitely helped save my life because I don’t know if I would have made it this long in my car or on the streets,” Brooks told ABC15.
