The alert plans pile up while the Europeans take their measures to avoid the heat stroke. In France, a heat peak is expected between Sunday and Tuesday. 37 departments are on heat wave orange vigilance. Monday could be one of the hottest on record. The heat wave began on Tuesday July 12 and caused numerous fires, particularly in Gironde where nearly 10,000 hectares have already gone up in smoke. Daytime temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees.
In view of all these indicators, the health authorities recommend in particular that children and the elderly take care of themselves by staying cool, drinking plenty of water and avoiding physical exertion during the hottest hours. One of the most serious health risks is “heatstroke”, a phenomenon of overheating of the body. It can lead to blood clotting disorders causing brain damage, coma and even death without timely medical treatment. France is not the only country affected by this extreme heat: experienced to varying degrees, other European nations are organizing to prevent risks and limit the effects of the heat wave.
- Fires also ravage Portugal
In Portugal, a temperature of 47°C was recorded, a record for the month of July. The heat is such that dozens of fire starts have been listed; the emergency services identified, Friday evening, a dozen active fires. More than 900 firefighters have been mobilized since the start of the weekend. Only one remains active on Saturday, in the north of the country, according to AFP. The country is therefore experiencing a slight lull. Between 15,000 and 30,000 hectares have gone up in smoke, according to estimates, since the beginning of the year. This figure is approaching that of the summer of 2017, the most abrasive of the last decade.
According to civil protection, the fires killed two people, including the pilot of a water bomber who crashed while fighting forest fires near Vila Nova de Foz Coa, in the northern region of Guarda. At the same time, in the north of the country, one of the most worrying fires affects the municipality of Baiao, a hilly area in the Porto region, upstream from the Douro, the great river that crosses it.
- Spain: temperatures exceed 40 degrees in almost half of the territory
Monfragüe National Park is a natural area protected for its biodiversity. But he is threatened by the flames. In the region of Extremadura, bordering Portugal, where the park is located, thousands of hectares have burned in recent days. In response, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a tweet very “attentive to the evolution of active fires which led to the evacuation of several municipalities”, evoking “an extreme risk in the face of very high temperatures”.
In the rest of the country, temperatures exceed 40 degrees in 46% of the territory. Madrid is experiencing record temperatures with 42 degrees in the shade. Dozens of towns had to be evacuated. In Andalusia, near Malaga, nearly 3,000 were the subject of a preventive evacuation. According to a study by the Carlos III Health Institute, nearly 360 people have already died from the heat. The main Spanish unions are calling for a change in working conditions, especially for workers, by banning the hottest hours of the day, between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, firefighters continued to fight an outbreak which broke out on Friday morning, causing the evacuation of seven villages in a rural area of the prefecture of Rethymno, on the island of Crete.
- UK red alert
In northern Europe, UK, the UK Meteorological Agency has issued an ‘extreme heat’ red alert for Monday and Tuesday in England. This is the first in its history. She warns against this extreme heat which could be the cause of a “risk for life”. The Met Office said that in the south of England, temperatures could again exceed 40°C for the first time in its history on Monday or Tuesday, a level similar to that expected in France.
“We were hoping we wouldn’t get to this situation, but for the first time we are predicting over 40°C in the UK,” Met Office climatologist Nikos Christidis said in a statement. we have seen that the likelihood of extremely hot days in the UK has increased and will continue to do so over the century.” Public transport companies are suggesting that their users postpone their trips.