California Heat Wave Claims At Least 56 Lives, Animals Dumped

clock Jul 25, 2006 10:54 pm US/Pacific
California Heat Wave Claims At Least 56 Lives

(CBS 5 / AP) The estimated death toll from more than a week of searing, triple-digit temperatures in California climbed to at least 56 Tuesday as residents sweated calls to cut power and the rotting carcasses of dairy cows baked in the sun.

A hiker on the John Muir Trail in the mountains outside Los Angeles, a woman walking to the drugstore near her Ridgecrest home and a Modesto woman who was waiting for the air conditioning in her mobile home to be fixed are among the victims whose deaths are being investigated as potentially caused by the heat wave scorching the state.

The stretch of 10 straight 100-plus degree scorchers marks the first time in 57 years that both Northern and Southern California an area stretching nearly 900 miles has experienced simultaneous, extended heat waves, Undersecretary for Energy Affairs Joe Desmond said.

"This is a historic heat wave," he said, calling conditions "extreme." He also noted the average temperature in Northern California has been 104, higher than Southern California's 100-degree average.

State and local authorities reported at least 56 possible heat-related deaths, most in the smoldering Central Valley where temperatures reached 115 degrees in recent days and were forecast to remain well above normal for a few more days.

In the 14 counties where coroners investigated deaths that might be attributed to the heat, officials said most of the victims appeared to be elderly people who, along with children, are less able to tolerate extreme temperatures.

"When the heat soars above body temperature, you perspire. But with the elderly, their bodies can't do it, can't regulate as well, so their body temperature soars," said Norma Arceo, spokeswoman with the state's Department of Health Services, which sent nursing homes advice on how to cope with the heat and recognize heat stroke.

In Fresno County, 11 people may have perished during days of blistering weather; the coroner said eight of the victims were 70 or older. Meanwhile, three elderly residents of non-air-conditioned single-room occupancy hotels within four blocks of the state Capitol were found dead Tuesday.

The sudden surge in deaths is overwhelming, said Fresno County Coroner Loralee Cervantes, adding that in her 21 years on the job she's never seen so many bodies in the morgue.

Just north of Fresno, in Stanislaus County, about 13 people are believed to have died from the heat as of Tuesday afternoon, county officials said.

The youngest was 51 years old, said Modesto Fire Department Battalion Chief Hugo Patino.

Southern California's inland counties also are seeing their share of fatalities, officials there said.

Four people are believed to have died because of the heat in San Bernardino County over the last few days, including a 45-year-old woman who was found on the side of a road next to a bicycle and died Saturday at a hospital, said Sandy Fatland, spokeswoman for San Bernardino County's coroner.

Advocates for the elderly are trying to spread the word to nursing homes and to senior citizens who live alone about how to handle the heat, including staying well hydrated, wearing loose-fitting clothing and limiting physical activities.

"I'm 83 years old, and I've never seen it this hot for this long," said Lorraine Person, an advocate for Fresno-area senior citizens through the TRIAD Project. "Nobody expected it -- we were blindsided. We just need to do the best we can now."

The record-setting heat wave has also killed thousands of dairy cows and other livestock across California.

In the San Joaquin Valley, a combination of the heat, bigger dairies and fewer plants to properly dispose of dead animals created a backlog of rotting carcasses.

"They're just sitting out there in the sun, drawing flies," said Fresno County dairy farmer Brian Pacheco.

Several other counties have been forced to declare a state of emergency, allowing the dumping of dead livestock in landfills -- something usually outlawed because of the health risks.

Milk production in California, the nation's No. 1 dairy state, was down by as much as 15 percent because of the heat, according to the California Farm Bureau.

Also, industry experts said individual dairy farmers could lose about two percent of their herd this year due to heat.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)