Modesto Bee Article

By Emilie Raguso, Staff Reporter
last updated: July 11, 2008 04:15:59 AM

Modesto's first heat-related death this summer took place early Thursday in a mobile home park on South Carpenter Road, the Stanislaus County coroner's office reported.

Margaret Mierzejewski, 91, lived with her husband in the 1200 block of South Carpenter, said Chief Deputy Coroner Kristi Ah You.

The couple's air conditioning was not working Wednesday, Ah You said.

The woman's 93-year-old husband, whose name has not been released, noticed his wife appeared to be "very tired" Wednesday. Ah You said the man thought his wife possibly was ill.

The woman died after the couple went to sleep for the night. She was pronounced dead at 4:35 a.m., Ah You said.

When the deputy coroner arrived, the woman's core body temperature was 104.7 degrees. It was 85 in the trailer, Ah You said.

"Her core body temperature would have been even more elevated earlier," Ah You said. Officials estimated that the home had been as hot as 110 degrees Wednesday.

An autopsy was performed and the cause of death was determined to be heatstroke.

The last heat-related death in Stanislaus County was in May 2007, said Dr. John Walker, public health officer for the county. A woman who lived alone died while working in her rose garden, he said. Most heat-related deaths occur in late spring or early summer, he said, as people adjust to the higher temperatures.

Thursday's high was 101 with a low of 77, according to Weather Underground, and the area continues to bake under a heat wave and gasp from poor air quality because of haze from wildfires.

In July 2006, torrid weather led to dozens of deaths in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, including 23 in Stanislaus County.

Walker said close to 75 percent of those who died in 2006 were men, many in their 60s. The most common theme for those who died was social isolation, he said. That is why the county has worked hard to coordinate with faith- and community-based organizations to reach as many people in the community as possible.

These agencies, along with the Office of Emergency Services, the Health Services Agency and other groups can get health and safety messages to people who may have limited communication with others.

Fans offered if AC goes out

Linda Arthur is a driver for a home meal delivery program through the Howard Training Center. She sees seniors on her route every day.

"They've been handling the weather really well," she said. "They just sit there and let me know how hot it's going to be."

She and other drivers have been trained to call for emergency services if they encounter a problem. So far, she said, so good. But if someone's air conditioning goes out, for example, drivers can call The Salvation Army to arrange for fans for the seniors. They also can connect seniors with other services, depending on the need.

Linda Lowe, a planner with Stanislaus County's Area Agency on Aging, said her office offers a range of services and referrals to seniors. She said the agency has tried to keep a close eye on them.

"For folks who are involved with our programs, we've been making sure that they are doing all right, either by phone or through meal delivery," she said. Staff members have been calling the managers of mobile home parks to see whether they have plans to help older residents. They advise seniors on where to find cooling centers and how to sign up for reduced rates with electric companies, making running their air conditioners more affordable.

"We find that a lot of people say to us, 'Oh, honey, we're OK. We've been living in the valley all our life. And this is just a hot day in the valley.' Unfortunately, they don't realize the danger," Lowe said.

There are about 75,000 seniors in Stanislaus County, according to Lowe. About 5,000 receive services from her agency. Several thousand others receive serv- ices from other organizations. The woman who died on Carpenter Road was not a client of Lowe's agency.

"We were very, very upset that this woman passed away overnight, because we've been trying to get information out to the public," she said. "It's hard when you see situations like this. We know the cause of this woman's death was heat-related. But we don't know if she knew she needed to take precautions. We don't know the underlying situation. It's real hard."

Risks associated with cardiac and respiratory issues rise as people get older, said Walker, the public health officer.

Until Thursday's death, this week's heat wave had been pretty quiet, Walker said. Cooling centers were lightly used. Heat-related complaints were "relatively low," he said.

Hospitals busy

Hospitals, however, reported a "significant number" of respiratory complaints, Walker said.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which monitors air quality for eight counties, rated the air quality Thursday as unhealthy for residents in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced and Madera counties. Today, the forecast is the same.

"It's going to be smoky until the fire goes out. It depends on which way the wind blows," said National Weather Service forecaster Johnnie Powell. "You'll get better days depending on which side of the wind you're on. The miracle would be a good rainstorm."

There's no sign of rain, but Modesto may be in for a stronger delta breeze this weekend, Powell said. The agency forecast today's high at 101 degrees and Saturday's at 99.

Because it's cooling, said Da-vid Jones, spokesman for Stanislaus County, there will be no cooling centers open today. The Salvation Army's day shelter, at Ninth and D streets, will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., though. Merced County will keep its cooling center in the Sam Pipes Room on the first floor of the Merced Civic Center, at 678 W. 18th St., open from 5 to 9 p.m.

Jones said that although this heat wave appears to be winding down, it's important for people to have a plan for the next one.

"If you're a homebound senior, do you have someone that you check in with on a daily basis?" he said. "If you have air conditioning and it isn't that good, what's your plan if it breaks down?

"If you live on a fault line, you're going to have a plan for earthquakes. If you live in the wilderness, you're going to have a plan for wildfires. And if you live in the valley, you know we deal with extreme heat." Jones said.

For more information on staying safe in the heat, visit http://stanemergency.com or call the county's heat hot line at 558-8035.

Bee staff writer Emilie Raguso can be reached at eraguso@modbee.com or 578-2235.