Jakarta –
Authorities in Britain declared an “extreme heat emergency” for much of the UK on Monday, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius. This is the implementation of a heat emergency for the first time in British history. Level 4 alerts, issued by the Health Security Agency (UKSHA) for Monday and Tuesday, were defined as a “national heat emergency” for the first time.
The British Meteorological Service’s MET Office said Tuesday’s high heat was “unprecedented.” “The temperature will be very hot throughout the day, before rising to 40C, maybe even 41C in remote places across the UK in the afternoon,” said Rachel Ayers of the MET Office.
Much of the UK, from London in the south to Manchester and Leeds in the north, is under the country’s first warning of “extreme” heat, meaning there is a health hazard, even death, for people at high risk.
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Hot, dry weather has gripped southern Europe since last week, sparking bushfires in Spain, Portugal and France, before moving north.
Public transportation disrupted
Record high temperatures have also disrupted public transport, health care services and schools. British authorities have deployed more ambulances and medical workers amid fears of the health impact. The MET Office warns that high temperatures pose serious risks, including severe illness and death, even among healthy people.
It also said there was a high risk of disruption to electricity, water and cellular telephone services. The national rail network asks customers not to use its services unless absolutely essential. Severe delays are expected on some transport lines due to crooked rail tracks and power supply disruptions. Several public transport services, including the main route between northeast England and London, were partially suspended on Tuesday (19/7).
London’s metro network reduced service on Mondays and Tuesdays, and urged passengers to only travel when absolutely necessary. Luton Airport near London had to suspend arrivals and departures of flights after high temperatures caused defects in the runway surface.
While some schools will be closed, others are preparing to build wading pools and water sprays to cool school students. To prevent the emergence of an emergency in the healthcare sector, some medical procedures were also cancelled.
Europe in the middle of a heatwave
The heatwave that swept across much of southwestern Europe resulted in wildfires in Portugal, Spain and France and Germany.
Germany’s meteorological service announced that temperatures would rise as high as 40 C and hit the western part of Germany the most. On Monday (18/7), about 115 firefighters had to be deployed following a wildfire in a popular tourist destination in eastern Germany, which spread rapidly over an area of 2,500 m2.
In France, more than 16,000 people, including residents and tourists, have been evacuated due to wildfires destroying dry forests in the southwest. French authorities responded to the fires by setting up seven emergency shelters for the refugees. They announced evacuation plans for more cities at risk of falling victim to the fires.
Spain has managed to contain fires that have burned about 2,000 hectares of forest and land in Andalusia, regional authorities report. “All 3,000 residents who were evacuated from the southern coastal city of Malaga were allowed to return to their homes,” said regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno.
Forest fires in Portugal have killed two people and injured about 60 others. Between 12,000 and 15,000 hectares of land burned, as the country was hit by temperatures that hit record heat of 47 degrees Celsius. Although heat levels have decreased slightly, most areas remain wary of the possibility of continued forest fires.
The weather bureau in Italy forecast temperatures above 40 C in some areas in the coming days. Also Switzerland was affected by the heat wave. Nuclear plant operators in Beznau said they had to reduce output to prevent the plant from overheating, as they rely on the Aare river for cooling water, while water temperatures are also rising.
hp/as (rtr, afp, dpa, ap)
See also Video: Horror! 1,000 people killed in heatwave in Portugal
(it/it)
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