High temperatures and humidity hitting large parts of the U.S. last week collided with the ongoing challenges many people face from inflation and high energy costs.

In Macon, Georgia, where temperatures were expected to be in the upper 90s over the weekend before reaching triple digits this week, Sgt. Melissa White, a corps administrator for the Salvation Army, said her facility has been packed with people looking for relief from the heat.

“With these gas prices, people can’t afford to run air conditioners even if they have them,” White said. “So it’s forcing a lot of folks who have never reached out for help to come into these cooling stations.”

Nearly one-third of the U.S. population was under heat warnings and advisories last week due to an early-season heat wave that is blanketing a huge portion of the country, bringing scorching temperatures and high humidity to millions of Americans across the Midwest and the South. Scientists have said that climate change is fueling more frequent and more intense heat waves in the U.S. and around the world. As temperatures climb, access to cooling resources can be a matter of life and death.