In an attempt to keep the death toll from California's 12-day heat wave from rising, aid workers there have been going door-to-door, checking in on elderly people.
The number of deaths possibly connected to the heat wave climbed to 98, California coroners' offices said on Thursday.
In Fresno County's morgue, the walk-in freezer was stuffed with bodies, with some piled on top of others, said Coroner Loralee Cervantes. With limited air conditioning, employees worked in sweltering heat as they investigated at least 22 possible heat-related deaths.
PHOTO: AP
"It's never been like this in my years here," Cervantes said. "This is really tragic."
The mercury dropped slightly in some areas, with Sacramento dipping below 38?C for the first time in 12 days, but Fresno hit 41?C and Bakersfield reached 42?C.
Temperatures in most parts of the state were expected to drop below 38?C this weekend, said Kathy Hoxsie, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
In Stanislaus County, officials were investigating whether sizzling temperatures were responsible for the deaths of 20 people. Salvation Army workers walked door-to-door there to check on elderly and other vulnerable residents.
Kern County was investigating eight deaths that were possibly related to the heat wave, including two Bakersfield brothers that were found dead in their beds in a home without air conditioning.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that California was making 75 cooling centers available to residents at fairgrounds statewide. Health officials also were contacting nursing homes to make sure they had evacuation plans in place in case their air conditioning failed, he said.
State Senator Dean Florez called on Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in California's Central Valley, noting that residents were dying each day.
"Record-breaking heat requires a record-breaking response," Florez said. "The conditions, staying this hot for this long, are simply too much for the most vulnerable residents."
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