"In one of his recent presentations, Professor Guy McPherson commented that when the worst effects of abrupt climate change set in most people will be dying of dehydration. Heat waves killing hundreds of people isn't new, but it will become a more frequent occurrence until it gets us all. Kirk Norring said pretty much the same thing commenting on another thread. This is the future happening in the present.
---Kevin Hester
---Kevin Hester
In
3 days, heat wave kills 200 in Andhra, Telangana
23
May, 2015
HYDERABAD/VISAKHAPATNAM:
More than 100 people were felled by a blazing heat wave on Friday
alone in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with the mercury hovering at 47
degrees Celsius at several places across the two states even as the
death toll crossed 200 in the two states in the last three days.
Hospitals
in Telangana reported a heavy rush of inpatients with symptoms of
sunstroke even as the Andhra government kept emergency medical teams
at standby in all districts. Officials issued warnings to people to
not venture out during the day without guarding themselves against
the sweltering heat.
As
the temperature soared past the 45 degrees the India Meteorological
Department upgraded the heat wave warning to "severe", and
forecast at least three more scorching days in Adilabad, Nizamabad,
Karimnagar, Medak, Warangal, Khammam, Rangareddy, Hyderabad, Nalgonda
and Mahbubnagar districts of Telangana.
In
Andhra, districts hit were East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna,
Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool. IMD
officials feared the region would break its past record of maximum
temperature - the highest day temperature ever recorded in AP and
Telangana was 48.8 degree in Vijayawada on May 11, 2002.
This
is also the first time ever that so many people have died due to heat
wave in such a short span in Telangana and AP - even when they were
one entity. With the toll mounting by the day, Telangana and AP
governments on Friday reviewed the situation and directed field level
officials to take up a massive campaign to advise people on how to
save themselves from the high temperatures.
The
sun raged a shade higher in Telangana with the bulk of the sunstroke
deaths reported there. While 66 people died in Telangana, 35 were
killed in Andhra. Most of those dead were the elderly, women and
young children. Hospitals even in small villages reported cases of
sunstroke. The area hospital in Jangaon in Warangal district received
two dozen patients with severe dehydration. About 200 people were
admitted at MGM hospital in Warangal in the last two days.
YK
Reddy, director in charge, IMD Hyderabad centre, said the day
temperature will be five degree Celsius above the normal. "Many
places have already registered five to seven degree Celsius above the
normal level. People should avoid coming out of their homes after 10
am during severe heat wave condition," Reddy warned.
Disaster
management special commissioner (Telangana) S Bhargavi admitted that
this is for the first time in five years that such a high toll is
reported during summer. Her AP counterpart P Tulasi Rani said data on
sunstroke deaths is being collected from districts.
Nalgonda
district was the worst hit in Telangana with 15 sunstroke deaths
reports on Friday. The district-wise toll is: Nalgonda 15, Warangal
and Khammam, 13, Karimnagar, 12, Mahbubnagar 7, Adilabad 3, Medak 2
and Hyderabad 1. In AP Prakasam district bore the brunt of the sun's
fury with 11 deaths, followed by Krishna 7, Nellore 6, Srikakulam 4,
Guntur and Kurnool 3, Vizianagaram 2 and Anantapur 1.
Lack
of proper medical facilities in area hospitals and primary health
care centres has only complicated the matters for the sunstroke
patients. Power outages and lack of fans at many health centres
caused untold suffering to the already dehydrated patients.
In
Mahbubnagar district, which is known for its perennial drought, about
500 people reported at various hospitals with signs of sunstroke.
There was no potable water at many of these centres.
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