TUCSON, Ariz. – Last year, a French couple died while trying to make sure their young son had enough water on a broiling summertime outing in a New Mexico national park.
Over the weekend, two Germans visiting Tucson for a conference succumbed to the record-breaking heat after taking a hike.
Amid a string of heat-related deaths – and another staggering heatwave – officials in the U.S. Southwest are increasing their efforts to alert visitors to the perils of being outdoors in extreme heat.
Local governments and businesses are improving signage and brochures, including making warnings and vital information available in different languages. They’re also educating hotel staff on what to tell tourists with plans for the outdoors.
But it’s not just those from out of town at risk. Most people who end up dying or needing to be rescued when the temperature soars are locals who ignore warnings, law enforcement officials say.
At Death Valley National Park, where thousands flock to experience the hottest place on Earth, large red signs warn visitors to be careful in the extreme temperatures.
But that hasn’t kept people from trying to hike, and the park in California and Nevada has seen its share of rescue operations.
Dan Kish, a park guide, says an operation last year included rescuing a tourist who had walked past a giant red sign that read “STOP. Extreme heat danger.”
At New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument, park officials have posted new signs aimed at people who speak different languages following the French couple’s deaths last year.
David Steiner, 42, and his wife, Ornella Steiner, 51, likely saved their 9-year-old son’s life by giving him two sips of water for each one they took before the supply ran out, officials say.
The park has installed new signs that include Celsius in addition to Fahrenheit and more graphics instead of text, ranger Rebecca Burghart said. About 10 percent of White Sands visitors are from foreign countries, and the park wanted to make signage more accessible for people who don’t speak English, Burghart said.
