Shipyard worker in Mississippi Coast hospital ICU after suffering heat stroke

Larry Cowart had been working in the sun for about 12 hours on Wednesday when he started to suffer from cramps.

The 55-year-old Escatawpa man left his job at a local shipyard and went home, but he couldn’t sleep or keep fluids down.

“I had cramps all over, and I was dizzy,” Cowart said.

Cowart eventually checked himself into Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula and learned he had suffered a heat stroke on Thursday.

Doctors also told him his kidneys were shutting down and he was moved to intensive care for treatment, Coward told the Sun Herald.

“It’s exhausting,” Cowart said from his hospital bed. “Even lifting a little bit of tubing is exhausting.”

Cowart’s experience is one of the dangers Mississippi Coast residents face in the extreme heat occurring across the South this summer.

And the temperatures aren’t falling anytime soon.

The National Weather Service in New Orleans tweeted a heat advisory Friday that includes Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties.

The NWS warned that the heat index could range between 108 and 112 degrees.

“Stay hydrated, take frequent breaks in air-conditioned if possible and do not leave pets or children unattended in your vehicle,” they warned on Twitter.

For those who work outside or who are outside for long hours, be prepared by knowing the signs of a heat stroke.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the most serious heat stroke can occur when core body temperature raises to or above 104 degrees.

If this happens, skin will feel dry to the touch, and those affected may be confused and experience slurred speech, headaches, rapid breathing and a racing heart rate.

Those that believe they may have heat stroke should remove excess clothing, move indoors and get cool by whatever means possible.