California Heat Wave Leaves More Than 130 Dead

On Friday Californians were actually happy to hear that temperatures were going to be just below 100 degrees. For nearly two weeks now, temperatures have been topping the 100-degree mark, with the entire state suffering from blistering triple-digit temperatures since July 16. Friday the heat advisories were finally lifted and meteorologists say the heat wave appears to be nearing its end. But it leaves tragedy in its wake, with more than 130 people known to have died from problems related to the heat.

Coroners in Los Angeles County and the central counties of Merced and Stanislaus have been struggling to keep up with the flood of heat-related deaths. Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services spokesman David Jones told reporters that the county usually has only one or two heat-related deaths each year. On Friday, there were 29.

The number of consecutive days where temperatures were higher than 110 degrees was unprecedented for California until this summer, meteorologists have said. Woodland Hills set a county record of 119 degrees on Saturday, and on Thursday its 102-degree temperatures marked the city’s 22nd day of triple-digit temperatures. The Central Valley has been hit the hardest, with temperatures regularly being in the 115-degree area. On Thursday, aid workers went door-to-door in Fresno checking on elderly people. In the Fresno County morgue, the walk-in freezer was filled with bodies, said Coroner Loralee Cervantes.

Most of the deaths resulting from the heat wave are believed to be elderly people, whose bodies aren’t as resilient to the heat, although there have been younger people stricken as well. A 38-year old gardener collapsed last week while working and died, and on Wednesday two brothers, ages 57 and 68, were found dead in their home, which did not have air conditioning. County coroners told the AP that many people probably underestimated how deadly high temperatures can be. "They’ve dealt with heat forever," said Sgt. Sue Norris of the Merced County Coroner’s office. "They don’t’ think that it could be a real danger."

At least six counties have declared states of emergency locally to allow farmers with livestock killed by the heat to bury them in landfills or on their own property, which is not normally allowed. The record-setting temperatures have resulted in record-setting energy consumption, forcing some municipalities to request voluntary blackouts. State Sen. Dean Florez said he had called on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in the Central Valley to make more personnel and financial resources available to help residents battle the heat. But Schwarzenegger said he had already taken action to help, such as placing 75 cooling centers at fairgrounds and instituting conservation measures to avoid blackouts. "There’s not much more we can do," he said. "I don’t know what it means to declare a state of emergency when we’re already doing everything."