Twenty-nine Southern Californians are believed to have died as a result of the recent heat wave, officials said, with most of the victims fitting within the familiar patterns of heat-wave deaths.
Many, but not all, were elderly. Many lived on the margins, unable or unwilling to spend the money to cool their homes. Some were isolated or fiercely independent, refusing or unable to leave their homes.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, September 07, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 42 words Type of Material: Correction
Heat deaths: A graphic in Thursday's Section A explaining death from heatstroke omitted the third of three factors that the medical examiner relies on to determine if a death is heat-related. It is: Can the autopsy rule out other causes of death?
Some victims had contact with concerned family members and neighbors during the long, hot holiday weekend. But in the end, they decided to stick it out.
Most died alone.
Los Angeles County officials are investigating 16 deaths as heat-related.
Nearby counties are reporting at least 13 deaths as heat-related, with seven victims in Imperial County, five in San Bernardino County and one in Riverside County. Officials said the total may increase as more autopsies are performed.
State health officials and advocates for the elderly have called 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 in California during last year's heat wave, officials created phone trees, public education programs, cooling centers and early heat warning systems to reach the most vulnerable.
Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, said the effort had saved lives but acknowledged that the loss of life in this summer's 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 Dorothy McGlothan, 85, died in her Pasadena apartment, she had told concerned relatives that she needed only a fan to stay cool. Authorities said when they found her, the temperature in her apartment was 115 degrees..
In a Valley Village apartment complex, mourning neighbors wondered why an elderly couple -- Menahen Lugassi, 82, and Dolores del Valle, 87 -- who were found dead didn't use their functioning air conditioner.
