USA: Elderly And Those Alone Linked to Heat Deaths

Death toll has reached at least 30, and officials say the totals are likely to rise. By Tami Abdollah, Carla Hall and Hector Becerra Los Angeles Times Staff Writer LOS ANGELES (Los Angeles Times), September 6, 2007: Nearly 30 Southern Californians are suspected of dying as a result of the recent heat wave, most of them falling into familiar patterns of who dies during periods of extremely high temperatures. Many -- but far from all -- were elderly. Many lived on the margins, unable or unwilling to spend the money it would take to cool their homes. They often were isolated or fiercely independent, unwilling or unable to leave their homes. A good number of the victims had contact with family and neighbors during the long, hot weekend. But in the end, they decided to stick it out. Most died alone. Los Angeles County is investigating 16 deaths as being heat-related. Surrounding counties are reporting at least 13 deaths they believe to be tied to the heat wave. Officials say the total is likely to rise as autopsies are performed in coming days. State health officials and advocates for the elderly have called this and other deadly heat waves "silent natural disasters" that reach into the homes of the vulnerable and strike them down outside of public view. "These deaths are an invisible danger," said Eric Klinenberg, professor of sociology at New York University and author of "Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago. "It's different than a tornado, literally whipping through town." After more than 140 elderly people died during last year's heat wave, officials attempted to create phone trees, public education programs, cooling centers and early heat- warning systems designed to reach those most vulnerable. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, believed the effort "has saved lives" but acknowledged that the loss of life from this latest heat wave underscores the limits of what officials can do. "Every one of those deaths was regrettable, and we'd like to think, every one of them is preventable," he said. "But we know individuals will continue to make unfortunate choices , individuals will misjudge their vulnerability to the heat, and accidents will happen." Before an 85-year-old Pasadena woman died in her apartment, she had insisted to concerned relatives that she needed only a fan to keep cool. Authorities said they found her in a 115-degree apartment. Mourning neighbors in a Valley Village apartment complex wondered why an elderly couple who died didn't use their functioning air conditioner. Medical and psychiatric illnesses can exacerbate an unwillingness to seek a cooler environment. Of the 16 suspected heat deaths in Los Angeles County, at least 12 were over age 50. Ten were found in their homes and two in cars they apparently lived in. In San Bernardino County, several people are believed to have died from exposure in the desert. In Imperial County, two illegal immigrants died trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border over the weekend. According to Southern California Edison spokesman Paul Klein, it costs his utility's customers roughly $230 per month to run a three-ton air conditioner to cool a 1,500-square-foot home during a heat wave (with the unit on 18 hours daily). That breaks down to about 14 cents per kilowatt hour, or $7.70 a day, he said. There are programs to help low-income residents pay for their energy use, but they don't cover the full cost of service. Edison's program CARE, for example, offers only a 20 percent discount on monthly bills. Several heat-wave victims were found when worried family or friends asked local law enforcement to make welfare checks. But authorities said such efforts would be unrealistic. "It's not something where we go door to door because we don't have a list of all the folks in our jurisdiction," said Sgt. George Berumen, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department . "That would be almost impossible." Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times