Many people refer to the states below the Mason-Dixon Line as the Sunny South, but for those of us who live here, we just call it "hot." Living in the South in the summer has many rewards and benefits - scorching summer heat and breath-taking humidityare not included on the list. Because of the extremely hot and muggy summer months, we are susceptible to heat-related illnesses. Although very preventable, many people become ill or die annually as a result of extreme heat. According to the Center forDisease Control, from 1979 to 1999 excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States. During this period, more people in this country died from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. In 2001, 300 deaths were caused by excessive heat exposure.
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