Climate Change Is a Growing Risk for Older Women

Nov 10, 2023 | Danielle Argoni
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When forest fires roared through Carpinteria, Calif., in 2017, 88-year-old Nadine Demalleville had just five minutes to evacuate the mobile home where she lived alone with her beloved cats. The former nurse relied on a wheelchair and had no way to get herself to the emergency shelter 20 miles away. Were it not for a neighbor who stepped in to help, Demalleville would likely have perished in the fire. Instead, she arrived safely at the shelter with a lunchbox full of medications but little else.As climate change fuels ever-deadlier disasters, it may seem that no one is immune to the wildfires, storms and heat waves that plague our baking planet. While this may be true, some are more threatened than others, and older women like Demalleville are among those most at risk.