Heat dogs BR’s recovery

• By JARED JANES
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Sep 6, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Sue O’Bannon-Bennis has a big mess to clean up at her Goodwood Boulevard home, where a tree knocked a gaping hole in her roof and scattered huge limbs across her yard.

She hasn’t waited for her yardman or her son to come around to fix it, either, she said; she covered the hole with a tarp and dragged all but the biggest limbs to the roadside by herself.

She worked from about 9:30 a.m. until late Friday afternoon and estimates she’s lost 4 pounds since the storm, mostly from storm-cleanup exercise. Even though she usually stays active through tango and running, she said, she’s been smart to drink plenty of fluids and find ways to stay cool.

“It’s been keeping me in shape,” she said, “but you’ve got to know your limits.”

Emergency Medical Services paramedics are encouraging residents to find ways to stay cool and drink plenty of water before cleaning up storm debris.

EMS spokesman Mike Chustz said the department has had a “significant increase” in heat-related calls like pass outs and difficulty breathing since Hurricane Gustav passed through the area Monday, cutting off people’s access to air conditioning and refrigerated drinks.

The lack of ways to cool down, coupled with the physical exertion required to clean up the mess left by Gustav, is driving the increase, Chustz said. He said most of the calls are people reporting dizziness, cramps and nausea.

“It’s hard work and a lot of people don’t do it everyday,” Chustz said. “Nobody is immune to heat-related illness.”

Since the temperature hasn’t been unusually warm, most of the calls are related to residents trying to clean up their yards without taking breaks or drinking enough water beforehand, Chustz said. When residents try to cool off after working themselves too hard, they are finding it harder to cool down and are seeking medical attention.

Chustz encouraged residents to space out their yard work over a few days — pointing out that it may be a while before Department of Public Works employees get a chance to come by and pick up the debris — or take frequent breaks.

“You don’t have to get it all done in one day,” Chustz said. “Anyone can overdo it.”

Paramedics have also responded to a few calls for city-parish employees, utility workers and contractors working to restore power or clean roadways who have also become ill, Chustz said. Those workers usually did not drink enough water or, in one case of out-of-state utility workers unused to Louisiana heat, did not bring water on their trucks.

He said the elderly and people with cardiac or respiratory illness are at greater risk.