(The Guardian) Record-setting Texas heat sends hundreds of people to emergency rooms
Record-setting heat in Texas has sent hundreds of people to emergency rooms in recent weeks, according to state health officials.
Temperature records fell across Texas during the last two weeks, putting June 2023 on pace to be the hottest June ever in some parts of the state. From the border city of Del Rio to the capital city, Austin, temperatures hit triple digits for days straight.
Emergency medical providers are responding to heat-related illnesses as extreme temperatures become more frequent and prolonged. On 20 June, at least 350 people visited emergency departments across Texas because of heat illnesses, according to state health officials. That was the highest number of ER visits for heat-related illnesses on any single day in 2022 or 2023 so far. Not all hospitals and clinics are included in the state data, so the total is likely an undercount.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Texas cities also reported high numbers of calls for heat-related illnesses this month. Houston EMS fielded 416 calls related to heat illnesses in the first 23 days of June. Even Texans accustomed to hot weather have been taken aback by the dangerous conditions.
“We are on pace to beat our numbers from last June,” said Austin-Travis county EMS paramedic and spokesperson Christa Stedman. “And that was the hottest June on record.”
