Risk of heat-related injury to disaster relief workers in a slow-onset flood disaster

Heat-related injury or illness (HRI) occurs when the body can no longer maintain a healthy core temperature. During the 1993 Midwest floods, several risk factors for HRI were present for workers involved in sandbagging activities. Medical claims filed by Illinois National Guard troops were used to identify injuries. HRI was the most frequently reported injury diagnosis, at 19.3% (23 of 119 injuries). HRI represented 16.0% of injuries to men and 41.7% of injuries to women. HRI can be influenced by high ambient temperatures, high humidity, and prolonged exertion, all of which were present in Illinois. Our results indicate that HRI is a potential problem in disaster relief situations. Further investigation using more detailed data is needed to confirm these findings. Implementation of a few simple preventive measures may decrease the impact of this problem.