–249 CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (exposure to excessive natural heat) search, 8-31-2016.[1]

–195 Blanchard tally based on State and Locality breakouts below.

— 36 NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat. Search Results for all U.S. States, 1996.

— 36 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

Summary of Heat Related Fatalities by State

Alabama — 1

Arizona –54

California –40

Florida — 4

Georgia –11

Illinois –10

Iowa — 1

Louisiana — 1

Missouri — 8

No. Carolina — 1

Oklahoma –15

Pennsylvania — 7

So. Carolina — 3

Texas –39

Breakout of Heat Related Fatalities by State and Locality (where noted)

Alabama ( 1)

— 1 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 1 Upper Mobile, July 11. Heatstroke; female, 34, found in her car outside doctor’s office.[2]

Arizona (54)

— 54 AZ DHS. Deaths from Exposure to Excessive Natural Heat…in Arizona… 2010, p. 17.

— 28 CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (exposure to excessive natural heat) search, 8-31-2016.

— 0 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.[3]

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by State or Country of residence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

— 35 Arizona

— 9 Other U.S. State or Canada

— 10 Mexico or other Central or South American country.

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by geographic region of occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–16 Border counties

–27 Central Arizona counties

–11 Northern Arizona counties

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by gender (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–41 Male

–13 Female

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by race/ethnicity (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

–32 White non-Hispanic

–14 Hispanic or Latino

— 3 Black or African American

— 5 American Indian or Alaska Native

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by age group (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 15):

— 1 0-4

— 0 5-9

— 1 10-14

— 2 15-19

— 3 20-24

— 2 25-29

— 3 30-34

— 4 35-39

— 1 40-44

— 6 45-49

— 1 50-54

— 6 55-59

— 3 60-64

— 2 65-69

— 3 70-74

— 5 75-79

— 3 80-84

— 6 85+

— 2 Unknown

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by County of occurrence (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 16):

— 3 Apache

— 3 Cochise

— 3 Coconino

— 1 Gila

— 3 La Paz

–18 Maricopa[4]

— 5 Mohave

— 7 Pima

— 1 Pinal

— 4 Yavapai

— 6 Yuma

Breakout of AZ heat deaths by month of death (from AZ DHS Table 1, p. 16):

— 1 January

— 0 February-April

— 4 May

–15 June

–22 July

— 8 August

— 3 September

— 0 October-November

— 1 December

California (40)

–40 CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (exposure to excessive natural heat) search, 8-31-2016.

— 8 Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.

— 4 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 4 Death Valley, July. Two adults, and two goys, 3, 10, German tourists.[5]

— 4 Kern Co., Aug 15. Female, 88, male, 74, permanent homes; male, 62, outdoors, male, 64.[6]

Florida ( 4)

— 4 Lushine. “Underreporting of Heat and Cold Related Deaths in Florida.” Figure 3.[7]

— 1 Vero Beach, July 31. Heatstroke; male; new worker moving insulation bundles. OSHA.

Georgia (11)

–11 CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (exposure to excessive natural heat) search, 8-31-2016.

Illinois (10)

–10 CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (exposure to excessive natural heat) search, 8-31-2016.

— 8 Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

— 7 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 2 Chicago, May 18-19. Female, 68 and male, 72, both in a nursing home. NCDC, SED.

— 4 Chicago, Aug 5-7. Females, 70, 84; males 63, 68 72; permanent homes (includes Elmwood).

— 1 Elmwood Park, Cook County, Aug 5-7. Permanent home. NCDC, Storm Events Database.

— 1 Palatine, Aug 21. Heat exhaustion; male loading dock worker, shipping facility. OSHA.

Iowa ( 1)

— 0 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 1 Sandusky, June 27. Heatstroke; male construction worker, 20, moving dirt outside. OSHA.

Louisiana ( 1)

— 1 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 1 Caddo, July 1. Female, 92, in her home. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat, LA, Caddo.

Missouri ( 8)

–8 MO Dept. Health & Senior Services. Chart: “Hyperthermia Mortality, Missouri 1980-2013.”

–2 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

–1 St. Louis, June 22. Male, 61. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat, MO, St. Louis (C).

–1 St. Louis, June 30. Female, 81, permanent home. NCDC Storm Events Database, MO.

No. Carolina ( 1)

— 1 Mirabelli and Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” AJPH, April 2005.[8]

Oklahoma (15)

–15 Garwe (OK Dept Health). “Heat-Related Deaths, Oklahoma, 1990-2001,” 5-31-2002, p.1.[9]

–11 CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (exposure to excessive natural heat) search, 8-31-2016.

— 8 July 7-13. NYT. “8-day Heat Wave Claims 20 Victims in Texas and Oklahoma.” 7-14-1996.

— 7 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 1 Caddo Co., Carnegie, body found July 4. Male, 89; wandered away from nursing home.[10]

— 1 Carter County, Ardmore, body found July 8. Male, 71; in his apartment. NCDC SED. Heat.

— 1 Lincoln Co., Chandler, July 4 (body found). Female, 80, in her home with no AC. NCDC.

— 1 Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, body found July 7. Female, 87, in her home; no AC.[11]

— 1 Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City, body found July 8. Male, 87, in his downtown apt.[12]

— 1 Payne County, Cushing, body found July 5. Male, 67; home AC not working. NCDC SED.

— 1 Woodward Co., Woodward, July 4. Male, 66, in his home; inoperative evaporative cooler.[13]

Pennsylvania ( 7)

— 7 Philly, by June 20. Philadelphia Inquirer. “City Reports Five More Heat Deaths.” 6-20-1996.[14]

–3 June 17 (bodies found). Elizabeth Truitt, Virginia Smith, 95, and Loretta Grant, 45.

–2 June 18 (bodies found). Oscar DeShields, 84, and John Holly, 85.

— 1 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 1 Philadelphia, May 21. Male, 74, found deceased in parking lot at JFK Memorial Hosp.[15]

So. Carolina ( 3)

— 3 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 1 Anderson County, July 17. Seizure caused by heat following football practice; male, 26.[16]

— 1 Fairfield County, June 22. Heatstroke; male, 31. NCDC Storm Events Database. Heat, SC.

— 1 Spartanburg, June 23. Heatstroke; male, 39, outdoors. NCDC Storm Events Database, Heat.

Texas (39)

–39 CDC WONDER. ICD-9/E900.0 (exposure to excessive natural heat) search, 8-31-2016.

–13 Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.

–12 Dallas-Fort Worth area, by July 12. NYT. “8-day Heat Wave Claims 20 Victims…” 7-14-1996.

–10 National Weather Service. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015.

— 1 Cooke County, July 9. Female, 61, found in her bedroom; home with no AC, room 107 F.[17]

— 1 Dallas County, Feb 21. Female, 10-months, left in car over 5 hours; outdoor temp. 90 F.[18]

— 2 Dallas, July 1-9. Female, 77, and male 76, both in permanent homes. NCDC SED. TX.

— 1 Dallas County, July 10. Hypothermia; male, 52, after mowing grass; 109° F temp. day.[19]

— 1 Denton, July 1-9. Female, 85, in her home. NCDC Storm Events Database. TX, Heat.

— 1 Harrison County, Marshall, July 5. Heatstroke at home, male, 32; died in hospital. NCDC.

— 6 Tarrant Co., July 1-9. Females, 67, 71, 74, 93; male 82, in permanent homes; 1 no info.[20]

–1 Fort Worth, July 5. Mrs. Willie Banks, 67; no home AC; body temp. 111° at hosp.[21]

–1 Fort Worth, July 5. Iva Fortenberry, 93

— 1 Wichita County, July 10. Hyperthermia, female, 80, found outside home, 102° F day.[22]

Narrative Information

NCDC, Chicago, May 18-19: “Chicago had its first heat wave of the season on the 18th and 19th of May with high temperatures around 90 and high humidity. There were 2 heat-related deaths. Both were elderly people in a nursing home.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat. Illinois, Cook, May 18-19, 1996.)

NCDC, PA, May 19-21: “The first and for many locations the only heat wave of the season occurred during the end of May. For many locations this heat wave contained the hottest temperatures of the year. One heat related death occurred within Philadelphia. A 74-year-old man died on the 21st. He was found dead in the parking lot at JFK Memorial Hospital. He was running the car’s defroster instead of the air conditioner. Four other heat related illnesses were reported in the Poconos and Lehigh Valley. In the Lehigh Valley, the Saucon Valley school districts dismissed the children at noon. In Whitehall Township, Glenside and MacArthur Roads buckled. In Montgomery County, the Blue Route (Interstate 476) buckled as did [U.S.] Route 422 west of Pennsylvania State Route 363. The excessive heat caused the Pennsylvania New Jersey Interconnection Association (PMJ) of 10 Mid Atlantic Utilities to institute a 5 percent cutback in power usage. Demand was about 33 percent above normal. The hottest day was the 20th when records were either tied or set at the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley International Airports. Hottest temperatures during this heat wave included 98F at Crum Creek, 97F at Green Land and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, 96F at Easton, Hamburg, New Hope, Reading and the Willow Grove NAS, 94F at East Stroudsburg and 92F at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, PA, Philadelphia, May 19-21, 1996.)

NCDC, OK, July 1-7: “High temperatures topped the century mark in central Oklahoma through the first week of July. On July 1, the high in Oklahoma City (at OKC) reached 102 degrees, then 104 on the 2nd, 103 on the 3rd, 105 on the 4th, 108 on the 5th, 110 on the 6th, and 106 on the 7th. During this prolonged period of hot temperatures, 7 deaths were attributed to the excessive heat.

“All of the victims were elderly and all but one were in their homes without air conditioning. The first fatality was an 80-year-old woman who was found the morning of July 4th in her un-air-conditioned home in Chandler in Lincoln County. The second fatality was a 66-year-old man in Woodward in Woodward County. This man was also in his home and his evaporative cooler had stopped working. The third death was a 67-year-old man who was found in his home in Cushing in Payne County on July 5th. His air conditioner was not working when he was found. The fourth victim, an 87-year-old woman, was found on July 7th in her un-air-conditioned home in northeast Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County. The fifth fatality was an 87-year-old man who was found in his apartment in downtown Oklahoma City on July 8th. The sixth heat-related death was a 71-year-old man who was found in his apartment in Ardmore in Carter County on July 8th. The seventh and last death that was attributed to the excessive heat was that of an 89-year-old man who had wandered away from a nursing home in Carnegie in Caddo County. The man was found on July 4th in a field on the edge of town and had died from exposure to the heat.

(NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Payne, July 1, 1996.

NCDC, TX, July 1-9: “A ridge of high pressure developed over the Southern Plains during the first week of the month. A dry air mass, dry soils, light downslope winds and strong solar heating contributed to temperatures at or above 100 degrees for 7 consecutive days across much of North Texas. Heat indices of 110 to 120 degrees were prevalent during the afternoon with little relief occurring at night as temperatures remained in the upper 70s to lower 80s. Excessive heat advisories were issued for much of northern Texas during this period. Four record high temperatures were observed in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with Waco recording three new record high temperatures during this heat wave. The prolonged heat stressed the health of many and nine people succumbed to it; six in Fort Worth, two in Dallas and one in Denton.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas, July 1-9, 1996.)

NYT, OK and TX, July 5-12: “Austin, Tex., July 12 — A heat-wave in Texas and Oklahoma killed at least 20 people last week, some of them elderly people who could not afford to use their air-conditioners. The highest temperatures were in North Texas and central Oklahoma, where for eight consecutive days they were at 100 degrees or above, leading to the hospitalization of dozens of people. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where the temperature reached 106 degrees on July 7, at least 12 deaths were attributed to the heat. An additional 54 people were admitted to emergency rooms in Dallas with heat-related illnesses, officials said. “It’s the fine line between being a public health crisis and individual tragedies,” said Bill Gross, coordinator for emergency preparedness in Dallas. “We did not get to the point of being a public health crisis, but we got pretty close.”

“In nearby Fort Worth, the body of Willie Banks, 67, was found on July 5 by a daughter who had left her to run an errand. Mrs. Banks’s body temperature was 111 degrees when she was taken to the hospital. Mrs. Banks, who did not have an air-conditioner, had been using an electric fan. The body of another heat victim, Iva Fortenberry, 93, was found the same day in a chair in her living room. She had an air-conditioner, relatives said, but she refused to use it. The police and medical officials here say that many elderly people prefer fans over air-conditioning and some, living largely on Social Security payments, cannot afford to use air-conditioners. “Many elderly are reluctant to use air-conditioning because it drives up their utility bills and they’re unable to make the payments,” said Dr. James Farris, director of the Dallas County Health Department. “There have been some younger people with heat cramps and heat exhaustion, but usually older and sick people go right to heat exhaustion and stroke.”

“Temperatures in Dallas have moderated over the past few days, dipping into the low 90’s. Still, the latest victim in Dallas was a 52-year-old man who collapsed on Tuesday while mowing his lawn. He died the next day from what hospital officials said was a heat stroke.

“In Oklahoma, the heat spell caused the deaths of eight elderly people, said Ray Blakeney, a spokesman at the State Medical Examiner’s office. The temperature reached 110 degrees in Oklahoma City last Saturday, a record for the month of July. “It was pretty amazing,” said Jim Purpura, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla. “Nobody thinks twice about 90-degree weather in Texas and Oklahoma in July, but that was extreme.”

“Mr. Purpura said the heat in the region — stretching from Tulsa, Okla., southward toward Chihuahua, Mexico — had been caused by a high pressure ridge that built up over Arizona and New Mexico and then drifted into the Southern Plains….

“Meteorologists say the searing heat of the past week pales in comparison to the summer of 1980, when the Dallas-Fort Worth area had 69 days when the temperature was above 100 degrees, including 42 consecutive days. There were 17 deaths in Dallas alone.” (New York Times. “8-day Heat Wave Claims 20 Victims in Texas and Oklahoma.” 7-14-1996.)

NCDC, Cook County, Aug 5-7: “Three days of heat indices above 100 degrees, contributed to 4 deaths in Chicago and one in Elmwood Park. On the 5th the high temperature at O’Hare was 89 and Midway was 90 and the heat index was 100 at both locations. On the 6th the temperature at O’Hare was 89 with a maximum heat index of 104 and Midway was 93 with a heat index of 106. On the 7th O’Hare was 92 with the heat index 104 and Midway was 93 with the heat index 106.” (NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat. Illinois, Cook, Aug 5-8, 1996.)

Sources

Arizona Department of Health Services (Christopher K. Mrela and Clare Torres). Deaths from Exposure to Excessive Natural Heat Occurring in Arizona 1992-2009. AZ DHS, March 2010, 5-12-2014 modification. Accessed 9-1-2015: http://www.azdhs.gov/plan/report/im/heat/heat09.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9/E900.0, exposure to excessive natural heat.) CDC WONDER On-line Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988, Series 20, No. 2A, 2000 and CMF 1989-1998, Series 20, No. 2E, 2003. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd9.html on Aug 31, 2016 8:15:22 PM

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heat-Related Deaths – Dallas, Wichita, and Cook Counties, Texas, and United States, 1996. MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), Vol. 46, No. 23, 6-13-1997, pp. 528-531. Accessed 11-1-2015 at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047895.htm

Garwe, Tabitha, M.P.H., Epidemiologist, Injury Prevention Service, OK DPH. ). “Heat-Related Deaths, Oklahoma, 1990-2001.” Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma State Department of Health, 5-31-2002. Accessed 11-8-2015 at: http://www.ok.gov/health2/documents/Heat_Deaths_1990-2001.pdf

Las Vegas Sun. “Heat related hiking deaths in the Grand Canyon [1996].” 8-2-1997. Accessed 2-5-2016 at: http://lasvegassun.com/news/1997/aug/02/heat-related-hiking-deaths-in-the-grand-canyon/

Lushine, James B. “Underreporting of Heat and Cold Related Deaths in Florida.” Miami, FL: National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, NOAA. 1-6-2009 modification. Accessed 11-1-2015 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/?n=fla_weather_casualties

Mirabelli, Maria C. and David B. Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 95, no. 4, April 2005, pp. 635-637. Accessed 9-2-2015 at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449233/

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services. Data & Statistical Reports. Chart: “Hyperthermia Mortality, Missouri 1980-2013.” 2013. Accessed 2-5-2016 at: http://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/hyperthermia/data.php

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat. Search Results for all U.S. States and Areas, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28Z%29+Heat&beginDate_mm=01&beginDate_dd=01&beginDate_yyyy=1996&endDate_mm=12&endDate_dd=30&endDate_yyyy=1996&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=-999%2CALL

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Alabama, Upper Mobile, July 11, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5560012

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat. California, Sonoma/ Marin Counties, Aug 15, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5576827

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat. Illinois, Cook, May 18-19, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5545155

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat. Illinois, Cook, Aug 5-8, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5563383

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat. Louisiana, Caddo, July 1, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5560295

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, St. Louis (C), June 22, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5559275

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Missouri, St. Louis (C), June 30, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5559276

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Payne, July 1, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5575022

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, May 19-21, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5560391

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, South Carolina, Anderson, July 17, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5567825

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, South Carolina, Fairfield, June 22, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5570188

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, South Carolina, Spartanburg, June 23, 1996. Accessed 2-4-1996 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5549919

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Dallas, July 1-9, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5557693

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Denton, July 1-9, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5557694

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Harrison, July 5, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5560501

National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Tarrant, July 1-9, 1996. Accessed 2-4-2016: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5557695

National Weather Service, NOAA. 1996 Heat Related Fatalities by State and Location. 8-3-2015 modification. Accessed 2-4-2016 at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats/heat96.pdf

New York Times. “8-day Heat Wave Claims 20 Victims in Texas and Oklahoma.” 7-14-1996. Accessed 1-8-2016: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/14/us/8-day-heat-wave-claims-20-victims-in-texas-and-oklahoma.html

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1996]. “Inspection: 115075376 – Economy Construction.” June 27, 1996. Accessed 2-5-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=115075376

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1996]. “Inspection: 122318702 – United Parcel Service, Inc.” Aug 21, 1996. Accessed 2-5-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=122318702

Occupational Health & Safety Administration. Fatality and Catastrophe Investigation Summaries [1996]. “Inspection: 300490380 00 Robert Drywall Co.” July 31, 1996. Accessed 2-5-2016 at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/establishment.inspection_detail?id=300490380

Philadelphia Inquirer (Anthony R. Wood). “City Reports Five More Heat Deaths. They Were Found in Non-air-conditioned Homes. The Season’s Toll Hit 7.” 6-20-1996. Accessed 11-20-2015 at: http://articles.philly.com/1996-06-20/news/25628949_1_heat-deaths-heat-wave-death-toll-heat-related-deaths

Sacramento Bee, CA (Tom Knudson). “`Death by GPS’ in desert.” 1-30-2011. Accessed 2-5-2016 at: http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/travel/article2573180.html

[1] CDC-Wonder results relate only to cases where hyperthermia was coded ICD-9/E900.0 as primary (direct) cause of death by a medical examiner on a death certificate. “Heat-related” deaths are viewed as those where heat was an indirect or contributing cause of death, and are not included. Even with what we would view as a direct E900.0 heat death we know that sometimes such deaths are coded as something else – such as a dehydration in the case of a child left in a hot car, or heart-failure brought on by a heat stroke, and thus do not show up in a exposure to excessive heat query. Shows population base of 269,540,779.

[2] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Alabama, Upper Mobile, July 11, 1996.

[3] Data on the number and characteristics of deaths from heat due to weather conditions were obtained from the mortality database containing information from the death certificates filed with the Arizona Department of Health Services….In addition to death certificates where exposure to excessive natural heat was indicated as the underlying cause of death, heatstroke or sunstroke may be reported on death certificates as contributing factors that had a bearing on the death, but were not its underlying cause. For example, heatstroke and sunstroke were mentioned in…Arizona death certificates where atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease…, respiratory disease…, diabetes…, or drug overdose/alcohol intoxication…were reported as the underlying cause of death. Those heat-related deaths are beyond the scope of this report.” (p. 1)

[4] CDC WONDER shows 10 deaths with heat as the primary cause of death on a death certificate (code E900.0).

[5] Sacramento Bee, CA (Tom Knudson). “`Death by GPS’ in desert.” 1-30-2011. Notes the four went missing in Death Valley “during an intense heat wave in July 1996 and who were never heard from again…until November 2009, when…a retired engineer and search-and-rescue volunteer…discovered human bones, the woman’s wallet and other items in an isolated corner of the park near Butte Valley….”

[6] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, California, Sonoma/Marin Counties, Aug 15, 1996.

[7] Figure 3, “Annual Temperature Deaths, Florida, 1979-1999,” is a chart which shows heat deaths in one color and cold deaths in another on the same horizontal bar for each year. The fatality range shown on the left of the chart is in increments of five, going up to thirty. The bars for each year are shown diagonally and do not show any numbers. This does not make them readily readable. Thus one has to measure with a ruler the bar showing the lowest combined deaths (1979), which appears to show one cold death and one heat death. With the unit of measurement of one death then measured against the heat portion of all the other bars, one can get an approximation of the heat deaths for each year. I say “approximate” in that by this method we counted 133 heat deaths over the 21-year period included in the graph, whereas the text of the article notes that there were 125. Repetitious measurement attempts gave us the same result. The article notes that the data came from death certificates collected by the Public Health Statistics Section, Office of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

[8] Figure 1.

[9] From Figure 1. “Heat-Related Deaths by Year, Oklahoma, 1990-2001.” Deaths in Figure 1 are denoted by a horizontal bar, against backdrop of horizontal lines in increments of five.

[10] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Payne, July 1-7, 1996 (narrative section for heat wave).

[11] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Payne, July 1-7, 1996 (narrative section for heat wave).

[12] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Payne, July 1-7, 1996 (narrative section for heat wave).

[13] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Oklahoma, Payne, July 1-7, 1996 (narrative section for heat wave).

[14] Cites Philadelphia Health Dept. for report of “five more heat-related deaths yesterday [June 19], bringing the total for the season to seven.” Notes the five most recent deaths were all in homes with no AC and windows closed.

[15] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, May 19-21, 1996.

[16] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, South Carolina, Anderson, July 17, 1996.

[17] CDC. “Heat-Related Deaths – Dallas, Wichita, and Cook Counties, Texas…1996. MMWR, 46/23, 6-13-1997. Notes hyperthermia listed as the primary cause of death.

[18] CDC. “Heat-Related Deaths – Dallas, Wichita, and Cook Counties, Texas…1996. MMWR, 46/23, 6-13-1997. Notes girl’s core body temperature was measured at a hospital at 108 F, and hyperthermia noted as cause of death.

[19] CDC. “Heat-Related Deaths – Dallas, Wichita, and Cook Counties, Texas…1996. MMWR, 46/23, 6-13-1997. Notes the man collapsed on neighbor’s porch, where he went for help. At a hospital his core body temperature was measured at 107.1° F.

[20] NCDC, NOAA. Storm Events Database. Heat, Texas, Tarrant, July 1-9, 1996.

[21] NYT. “8-day Heat Wave Claims 20 Victims in Texas and Oklahoma.” 7-14-1996.

[22] CDC. “Heat-Related Deaths – Dallas, Wichita, and Cook Counties, Texas…1996. MMWR, 46/23, 6-13-1997.

1996 — June-Aug esp., Heat, especially AZ/54, CA/40, TX/39, OK/15, GA/11, IL/10 — 249