BATON ROUGE – The death toll from Hurricane Laura continues to climb. Two more people died today from heat-related illnesses while they were cleaning up after the storm, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
A 41-year-old man and a 47-year-old man, both residents of Vernon Parish, died on September 4. A total of 22 people have now died because of Hurricane Laura.
Eight people have died from heat-related illnesses, according to the LDH. The victims range in age from 36-years-old to over 80-years-old.
Heat stroke occurs when a victim’s body loses the ability to cool down. The body’s internal temperature may reach or exceed 106 degrees before death.
Infants and children up to 4 years of age, people 65 years of age and older, people who are overweight, and people who are ill or on certain medications are at most risk heat-related death, according to the LDH.
