High Temperatures Hitting the United States Have Already Claimed Six Lives

A massive heatwave is currently affecting more than half of the United States, causing millions of people to suffer and putting their lives at risk.

It has been reported that temperatures are expected to reach the triple digits, ranging from 90 to 100 and even 115 degrees in some parts of the country.

So far, six people have already lost their lives to the extreme heat, including former New York Giants offensive lineman Mitch Petrus, who died from heatstroke.

ON HIGH ALERT

The heatwave could affect as much as 200 million people, especially in big cities such as Washington, New York and Boston, with parts of Canada also experiencing high temperatures.

New York, along with several other cities, has already issued a weather-related emergency, predicting the record-breaking temperatures that Americans might experience during the weekend.

THE SYMPTOMS OF HEAT ILNESS

According to Dr. Christopher Rodriguez, Washington's director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, this will "be one of the most severe heat events that we've had in the last several years."

Knowing that heat is a silent killer, doctors have been spreading awareness regarding the symptoms people should be on the lookout for when it comes to heat illness.

The heatwave could affect as much as 200 million people

Symptoms such as headache, nausea, muscle cramps and, curiously enough, lack of sweating, could be indicators of heat-related sickness and those experiencing them should seek immediate medical help.

CHILDREN AND PETS AT RISK

Not only that, but with heat comes the threat of children and animals being left inside locked vehicles under extreme temperatures, leading to their deaths.

People are advised to be careful and be more attentive to these situations, as a car's interior can easily go from 96 to 124 degrees in just half an hour

Cases like Hannah Grace Miller's for example, a three-year-old from Anderson, Indiana, are reported every year. The little girl was found unresponsive inside her father's car after being left there for two hours.

He performed CPR as soon as he found her and rushed her to the hospital, however it was too late to save her. The Madison County Coroner's office confirmed her death a result of acute heat exhaustion and overheating.