Arizona woman's A/C unit is replaced after not having one for years
New A/C brings relief to Arizona resident
An Arizona woman shares how a free air conditioning replacement program saved her after surviving three years without cooling. FOX 10's Brian Webb reports.
MESA, Ariz. - A working air conditioner in Arizona is not a luxury – it is a necessity during the summer months.
Hundreds of people die every summer in Arizona because of the heat, and one-third of the cases happen indoors among people with no working air conditioner. But there are ways to get help.
Local perspective:
The hum of a working air conditioner is the sound of survival to Susan Terrel.
She says she survived nearly three years without a working air conditioner, using a patchwork of fans, water, and portable units to make it. And even that was barely enough.
Her thermostat hovered in the high 90s 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It was enough to drive a person mad.
"I cried a lot, screamed at God a lot. I didn’t think I was going to make it through it. I really didn’t," Terrel said.
Susan Terrel
Terrel finally stumbled on a program called AllThrive 365, a nonprofit that repairs and replaces air conditioners for free.
"It’s so hot in Arizona. We know there are people that cannot afford to repair or replace their air-conditioning systems. And we have to be here to help them. We have to step in and step up, help those in need in our communities," Katie Martin of AllThrive365 said.
The program is partially funded by SRP. The nonprofit utility has doubled its funding for heat relief efforts from $500,000 to more than $1 million.
"We see it every day. It’s really hot in Arizona and our community has a range of needs and so that’s why it’s important for us. SRP to partner with organizations like all thrive 365," Juana Hernandez of SRP said.
Terrel is now sitting pretty at a comfortable 74 degrees on a triple-digit day, and is even saving money on her electric bill.
Big picture view:
Now she is spreading the word to help others in the same situation surviving Arizona summers without an AC.
"If there’s one thing I want to get across to everyone that hears this, is that never close your heart to have compassion for other people because you don’t know when it’s going to be you. And you have no idea what the suffering could be," Terrel said.
The program is available in several counties, including La Paz, Pinal, Yavapai, Yuma, and Maricopa. Residents can reach out to AllThrive 365 or SRP for more information.