ROMANIA: Dog Days of Summer Claim Eight More Lives

BUCHAREST (Bucharest Daily News - AP), July 31, 2006: The extremely hot weather in the past few days caused the death of eight people, according to the Health Ministry yesterday. Other 800 people were taken to the hospital with illnesses caused by the heat, especially strokes and heart problems. The ministry advised senior citizens, children and people with chronic diseases to avoid leaving their houses and going to crowded places during the day, while the temperatures continue to rise over 30 degrees Celsius. For those who spend more time in the open air, hats, umbrellas and sunglasses are recommended. The ministry also advised locals to drink two to four liters of water and avoid alcohol and coffee. Employers must provide drinking water to the employees and even change the work schedule for those working in the open air. Local authorities have taken measures to avoid more deaths. Doctors in Bucharest and the city of Craiova set up sidewalk tents to check pedestrians' blood pressure and offer refreshments. In Cluj, labor authorities are checking if construction workers get enough water to prevent dehydration. Meanwhile, meteorologists announced that Romania will face another week of hot weather. 22 counties, mainly in the west and south of the countries have received warnings that the temperatures are likely to reach 35 degrees Celsius. At night, temperatures are not expected to drop below 20 degrees. Extreme temperatures for several localities are also recorded in European countries. In Ireland, where the average temperature in July is normally 15 degrees Celsius, the temperature soared to 31 degrees. "It's amazing how quickly we've got used to it. We seem to think we're Mediterranean now," said Brendan O'Connor, a newspaper and TV satirist. "There's even a danger that we'll start drinking sensibly." Elsewhere, records also were being set. Germany, like Britain, has experienced the hottest July on record. In France, officials were frantic to avoid a repeat of the summer of 2003, when 15,000 people - most of them elderly - died of heat-related causes. This year, medical students were recruited to help doctors, advice was broadcast day and night via radio and television with reminders to drink water and stay indoors. A media campaign to boost neighborliness went into full swing to ensure no elderly are forgotten. Even the Eiffel Tower was not left out. Four giant misting machines were installed at its base to douse overheated tourists. Still, French health authorities reported 64 deaths by Thursday. In Britain road surfaces melted and the Evening Standard newspaper measured temperatures on the Underground at a stifling 47 degrees Celsius. The heat has wreaked havoc with electricity supplies. More than 1,000 businesses in London's major shopping district were left without power Thursday, with the electric grid overwhelmed by demand. A state-owned power operator in the Czech Republic halted energy exports to neighboring countries and forced major industrial consumers to cut electricity use for several hours Tuesday. And in Germany, some nuclear power stations were hobbled because the river water they use for cooling was too warm. "It's been rough," Owen Gallagher, 49, a British construction project worker. "You feel it at the end of a shift. It just drains you." By Monica Bonea Copyright © 2004-2006 Bucharest Daily News