NEW ORLEANS — Bringing the total number of lives taken by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana to 17, a 36-year-old man and a woman in her 80s died of heat-related illness after the storm in Beauregard Parish, the Louisiana Department of Health verified in a report.
Power company repair crews were still working to bring electricity across storm-devastated southwest Louisiana late Wednesday, as other crews worked to clear debris from roadways.
Without power, many Louisianans won't be able to cool down, and that's dangerous — especially so for infants, children up to 4, people older than 65, people who are overweight, the ill, and those on certain medications, the Department of Health's report said. For more information on heatstroke from the LDH scroll to the bottom of the article.
Gov. John Bel Edwards cautioned his state’s residents Wednesday to be realistic about “the long road ahead of us” to recover from Hurricane Laura. Officials said more than 230,000 utility customers in Louisiana remain without power, and 175,000 people face water outages.
Edwards urged people to follow the guidance of local authorities on when it’s safe to return home and stay there. The two added to the death toll makes 17 in Lousiana, but 21 overall in the U.S.
Below is a list of details on the 17 deaths the Louisiana Department of Health has verified to date:
- 14-year-old female, Vernon Parish, fallen tree
- 51-year-old male, Jackson Parish, fallen tree
- 68-year-old male, Acadia Parish, fallen tree
- 64-year-old female, Allen Parish, fallen tree
- Male, Calcasieu Parish, drowning
- 24-year-old male, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
- 56-year-old female, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
- 61-year-old male, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
- 81-year-old female, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
- 72-year-old male, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
- 84-year-old male, Allen Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
- 80-year-old female, Allen Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning from generator
- 57-year-old male, Calcasieu Parish, head injury after falling from roof
- One resident, Calcasieu Parish, carbon monoxide poisoning
- 49-year-old male, Rapides Parish, storm cleanup
- 36-year-old male, Beauregard Parish, heat-related illness
- 80- to 89-year-old female, Beauregard Parish, heat-related illness
The LDH's Wednesday report called heatstroke the most serious heat-related illness, saying it occurs when the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails and the body is unable to cool down.
Heatstroke can bring body temperature up to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heatstroke can cause death or permanent disability without emergency treatment is not provided.
Heatstroke warning signs include:
- An extremely high body temperature (above 103°F)
- Red, hot, and dry skin (no sweating)
- Rapid, strong pulse
- Throbbing headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Unconsciousness
See the signs? Here's what to do
People with any of these signs need immediate medical assistance, so call for help while you begin cooling the victim. Do the following:
- Get the victim to a shady area.
- Cool the victim rapidly, using whatever methods you can. For example, immerse the victim in a tub of cool water; place the person in a cool shower; spray the victim with cool water from a garden hose; sponge the person with cool water; or if the humidity is low, wrap the victim in a cool, wet sheet and fan him or her vigorously.
- Monitor body temperature and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102°F.
- If emergency medical personnel are delayed, call the hospital emergency room for further instructions.
- Do not give the victim alcohol to drink.
- Get medical assistance as soon as possible.
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