The problem is that in a good majority of the country people arent used to extreme heat like this so they dont properly hydrate and take other necessary precautions. Ive found I can easily drink 2 gallons of water (if not more) a day during the summer here in AZ. Even then sometimes it doesnt feel like enough. I vaguely remember the heatwave in 95 (i was in jr high) but that was brutal. We've finally got some rain on the radar here tonight, but the first monsoon storm usually just makes everything muddy and icky out.