New preliminary data from the BC Coroners Service shows there were 14 Kamloopsians who died during this past summer’s heat wave between June 25 and July 1.
That is more deaths than any other Interior city in that time-period, with Kelowna a close second with 12 deaths reported.
During that week of the heat dome, there were 25 deaths across the Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap, part of 526 across the province. Most of the deaths between June 25 and July 1 were in Fraser Health (273) with Vancouver Coastal Health reporting (120) of those. There were 64 deaths reported across Interior Health.
A majority of the deaths happened on two days – June 28 (131 deaths) and June 29 (231 deaths). Data also shows 51 per cent of the victims were women while 49 per cent were men.
“The BC Coroners Service is committed to gathering as much information as possible about each of these deaths to inform future, evidence-based prevention efforts” Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said. “I extend my sincere condolences to all of those who lost a loved one as a result of last summer’s unprecedented heat dome.”
“By identifying patterns and factors in the tragic deaths that occurred unexpectedly last summer, our province will be in a better position to prevent future similar tragedies.”
The provincewide death rate during the heat dome week was 10.1 per 100,000 residents, with people over the age of 70 accounting for 69 per cent of the deaths. A majority of these heat deaths – 96 per cent – occurred in residential settings.
In all, the Coroners say there were at least 595 people who died due to the extreme heat throughout the entire summer. All of the deaths are being investigated and Lapointe says reports on each fatality should be complete by late spring 2022.
“While we expect the findings of the death review will significantly contribute to efforts to increase public safety, we must take steps to prepare for future extreme weather events now,” Lapointe added.
“The effects of climate change are both real and unpredictable. Having a plan to regularly check in with loved ones who live alone, being aware of cooler and air-conditioned areas in your neighbourhood, and heeding early warnings about extreme weather are simple steps that will help ensure we are all properly prepared and safe.”
In a COVID-19 briefing on Monday, Health Minister Adrian Dix took some time to say that the B.C. government is addressing issues related to the heat dome in part by raising the budget for Emergency Health Services.
“We also know, in order to manage heatwaves, we must all work together on many core issues, from housing affordability and safety and infrastructure, income and equality, municipal supports and services,” he said. “And of course, at the centre of it all, climate change, of which B.C. is a world leader. But we must continue to work together.”
Moving forward, he says the province need to prepare for future extreme heat events, noting it is no longer “a one-in-one-thousand-year event, but rather it’s a one-in-one year event”
“And we need to respond and become more resilient, not just as a health system but as a province,” Dix said. “The efforts for everyone in the healthcare system to respond to the heatwave were remarkable. The impacts, as we all know, as we see by today’s report, were tragic, and the loss of life, devastating.”
“It’s vital that we learn from these events, and that’s exactly what we will do. And we’ll be following, very closely, the independent review being done by the coroner.”
– With files from Colton Davies
