Heatwave bakes lower U.S.

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 6

Heatwave bakes lower U.S.

NZPA' New York The St Louis, Missouri, city morgue reported a “crisis situation,” hundreds of Georgians flocked to airconditioned relief centres, and a seven-state power company declared a power emergency as hot, dry weather again baked the lower half of the United States. The unofficial death toll from the heatwave, now in its fourth week, rose to 654 in 16 states. President Jimmy Carter directed Federal officials to make $6.73 million available to six states to provide relief. States receiving assistance are Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Kansas. Mr Carter also directed the Agriculture Secretary (Mr Bob Bergland) to monitor distribution of agriculture assistance to fanners hard hit by the drought. Economic losses to crops, livestock, and poultry in the South and Midwest caused

by the prolonged heal and drought were estimated at more than $2OOO million. Weather forecasters have said that no relief is in sight for at least the remainder of the week.- : /

A state of emergency remained in effect in Missouri, which has reported by far the most heat-related deaths: 140. - . Rose Marie Green, an Investigator for the St Louis Medical Examiner’s office, said the city morgue was near capacity. “We are in a crisis situation. We are running out of places to put the bodies,” she said. The top temperature in Missouri yesterday was 42.5 deg in Columbia and Kansas City. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides electricity to seven states in the south-east, declared a power emergency and urged customers to lower air conditioners, not to use electric water heaters, and to avoid non-essential use of electricity between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.