In St. Louis, 23 Confirmed Dead From Heat-Related Illnesses To Date - SLPD

[hatrack]

EDIT

The 23 deaths so far this year are the most since 1995 — with the heat likely to last for several more weeks. Temperatures have reached 100 degrees on 13 days, and forecasts call for more triple-digit heat through Thursday. The prolonged heat wave is catching up to the most miserable summer on record — 1936 — when there were two long stretches of above 90-degree weather. In those days before air conditioning, 479 people died.

The youngest and oldest residents are most vulnerable to heat illnesses, such as heatstroke or hyperthermia, because they can't regulate their body temperatures as well.

For older people, health issues like heart disease, dementia and prescription drug use can contribute to the problem. The typical Missourian who succumbs to heat is older and lives alone.

Many of the people who died have also had dementia, Alzheimer's disease or some other cognitive disability, said Pamela Rice Walker, director of the St. Louis Department of Health. Many older residents might not even consider themselves at risk, she said.

EDIT

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/stubbornness-can-be-lethal-in-st-louis-heat-wave/article_404ef3ad-815f-5c90-9753-185fa87d2d27.html

[orwell]

1. Send 23 empty body bags...

...to Senator James Inhoffe's office...

Tell him Job Well Done!