European heat wave kills thousands

[Spiffor]

From the BBC:

French heat deaths 'up to 3,000'
The French health ministry has said the deaths of up to 3,000 people in recent weeks could be attributed to the European heat wave.

The announcement came as the government extended throughout the country an emergency hospital plan originally introduced in the Paris region to deal with the medical crisis.

The move was ordered by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who cut short his holiday to head a crisis meeting of his cabinet in Paris.

The "Plan Blanc", which is normally reserved for epidemics, disasters or terrorist attacks, provides for the recall of doctors from holiday and making available extra staff, hospital beds and temporary mortuaries.

Last summer the situation was catastrophic and this year it is worse, we were not at all prepared - the hospital system is failing
Muriel Chaillet
Paris doctor

Correspondents say the measure is an attempt by the government to show it is not taking the problem lightly, after sharp criticism from the socialist opposition and health professionals.

The fatality figures were the first to be given by the government, which previously said that there was no accurate way of measuring deaths from the heat.

The ministry said its estimates were based on reports of deaths received from hospitals and mortuaries whose figures for this week were 37% higher than for the same period last year. The figure for Paris was more than 50% higher.

The heat eased slightly on Thursday, with temperatures in Paris reaching around 30C compared with more than 40C earlier in the week.

And forecasters predicted relief across western Europe, with the UK, Germany and Spain also looking forward to cooler, fresher weather in the coming days.

The extreme heat has set records on the continent, leading to dozens of deaths from heat stroke and devastating forest fires in countries on the western Mediterranean.

Firefighters are continuing to battle blazes in Portugal, where the popular tourist region, the Algarve, remains under serious threat.

Army call

French officials say comprehensive nationwide casualty figures will be released next week, based on a survey of private and public medical institutions including retirement homes.

But the BBC's Alan Little in Paris says the health ministry's announcement is a humiliating turnaround for a government whose response to the crisis has been perceived as too slow.

Most ministers have been out of Paris for the traditional August holiday.

Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei told French radio the government "carried out the responses that were needed".

Most of the victims are old people, prompting comments in the press to the effect that the real scandal was their loneliness and isolation - many families leave behind their elderly relatives as they go on holiday.

However, Dr Muriel Chaillet of the St Antoine hospital in Paris told BBC News Online that the situation could be blamed partly on an aging population but partly on the state of the health service.

"Last summer the situation was catastrophic and this year it is worse; we were not at all prepared. The hospital system is failing," she said.

"These figures panic me, but they do not surprise me; they correspond to the situation."

Thankfully, the weather has at last cooled down today. It is currently 22C in Paris, as opposed to the 36-38 from yesterday (and past weeks).
Nantes suffered the most with +114% dead than last year at the same period.
Does anybody know where the weather anomalies from this year in western Europe come ?

[Combat Ingrid]

Global warming. And I don't think this is unique for Europe, media just pays more attention to what happens here and in North America.

I heard that parts of central Europe is predicted to become a desert within 60 years unless we start doing something about it soon.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Combat Ingrid
I heard that parts of central Europe is predicted to become a desert within 60 years unless we start doing something about it soon.

[alva]

Let's all ignore it and it will all go away...

[CerberusIV]

I found this on the UK Met Office site

http://www.met-office.gov.uk/corpora...r20030812.html

Hospitals received advance warning of the current prolonged spell of extreme hot weather thanks to the Met Office's pioneering 'Forecasting the Nation's Health' initiative. The project uses weather forecasts and research data to provide managers with advance warning of the impacts of weather on health, and therefore hospital workloads, in their area. This allows them to plan the use of resources more efficiently.

Under the initiative, participating hospital trusts were alerted where and when to expect increased emergency admissions. At this time of year, the number of emergency admissions is generally expected to be lower than normal. The advance warning enabled managers to prepare for increased Accident and Emergency attendances and admissions so that delays were minimised, and patients were not inconvenienced.

Lyn Robertshaw, Director of Operations and Nursing, The Royal West Sussex NHS Trust, said:
"Since working with the Met Office as part of the 'Forecasting the Nation's Health' project we have been aware that with persistent hot weather, we tend to see a rise in medical emergencies relating to chest pain. The coronary care unit has been extremely busy so has the medical assessment unit. Thanks to the information we received we were able to prepare, despite the fact that this is the height of the holiday season for our staff."

Nice to know that someone in the UK got something right.

This quote particularly caught my attention

Dr William Bird, Met Office Medical Consultant, said:
"It is not the peaking temperatures, but the persistence of these high temperatures that is causing the problem. The human body can cope with high daytime temperatures so long as it has time to cool overnight. Consistent high day time and night time temperatures have a cumulative effect on the body. The result has been increased pressure on the NHS.

[Az]

Global warming.

we've had great, rainy winters lately.

[August Borms]

Originally posted by Spiffor
Does anybody know where the weather anomalies from this year in western Europe come ?

I read that we're getting hot North African air instead of air from the Atlantic ocean due to heavy rainfalls in southern Africa

Best summer ever btw

[FrustratedPoet]

/me waits for someone to appear and say "What? You think that's hot?! Well, we have temperatures of a billion degrees here every day!" as if somehow that will be of any comfort to all the elderly people and children who are getting sick from the heat.

[Shi Huangdi]

My sympathy goes out to all of Europe suffering from this....

[red_jon]

The weather here a few days ago reminded me more of Florida than England...

[red_jon]

But then again, extreme weather can be fun. Unless you die easily.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by red_jon
But then again, extreme weather can be fun. Unless you die easily.

Not so far.

[Az]

What? You think that's hot?! Well, we have temperatures of a billion degrees here every day.


get air conditioning. Or at the very least, fans.

[FrustratedPoet]

[Dr Strangelove]

The eastern USA has been very wet this year. This part of the South experienced the greatest volume of rainfall ever recorded for the spring season, and it looks like the trend is going to continue through the summer. Along with the heavy rains it has also been cooler this summer than I can remember. Even in July I've had people walking into the clinic wearing sweaters!

[alva]

It's not just the airco BTW, houses here are build to keep the heat in, not vice-versa.

ATM the weather here is great, but I sure didn't enjoy the last 10 days...

[MrFun]

My sincere sympathies to those Europeans who have lost a friend or family member to the heat wave.

[Az]

Originally posted by alva
It's not just the airco BTW, houses here are build to keep the heat in, not vice-versa.

If there is an isolating layer, it shouldn't matter.

The roofs can be a problem. European roofs heat up real fast.

[MikeH]

Originally posted by Azazel
get air conditioning. Or at the very least, fans.

Yeah right 'cause that's really easy, everywhere in the country completely sold out of fans in about a day, air conditioning people are booked for months.

[Sandman]

We should really accelerate the development of renewable energy, in order to beat back global warming. Or build city-sized refridgerators.

[Az]

So, you like, don't even have fans? Fans are basic, and cheap. EVERY house should have one! Even in Europe! (or should I say, "esp. in Europe"? )

[MikeH]

Some people do, most don't. Never normally need them.

[Asher]

34C again today here.

[CerberusIV]

The best bit is many shops in the UK clear out their summer lines, like fans, at the end of July, and start to stock winter items. Just in time for a late summer heat wave.

[BeBro]

Yesterday it was the first "cold" day here - ca. 25C. The days before we had always over 35, sometimes 37 - 39C.

And fans and air conditions are evil, because they use more energy, causing more global warming

Let´s go crawl back into our caves.

[alva]

And fans and air conditions are evil, because they use more energy,

True.
Not to mention the financial aspects, 1 the are alot(?) more expensive to buy here and to maintain, ie electricity, here is alot more expensive too

[BeBro]

To be serious, I don´t need a fan or even an airco at home, even at 35C or more. But at work or at the uni it would be great

[Bereta_Eder]

I don't need one either. The place is quite cool and at night, I sleep on the quite ample spaced veranda. And have the sweet summer breeze tingle me all over, or maybe they are night fairies, I don't know.

If I was to sleep inside in July or early August though, I'd definitely could use an aircondition.

[Bereta_Eder]

Spiffor, do you also do this in France: If there are heat waves, the municipalities open up big airconditioned venues where the elderly and particularly those with respiratory problems can go and play backgammon or something.

The elderly and particulalry those who have noone to look after them and no money to buy airconditions, are the ones who are in danger of duying from the heat.

Most of the victims are old people, prompting comments in the press to the effect that the real scandal was their loneliness and isolation - many families leave behind their elderly relatives as they go on holiday.

[alva]

I know Paris opens it's subway in the winter from time to time, never heard of them (and others) doing something in the summer.
As said before, we have absolutely no experience with heat (at least not in the 'it's a problem' kind of way)