There is no end in sight to the heat wave in Greece. Experts fear that the energy system could collapse if the air conditioning systems run at full speed for days.
Athens / Istanbul / Rome – The heat wave in Greece continues. The weather office in Athens expected temperatures of around 44 degrees at least until next weekend. The scorching heat troubles many people and also tests the performance of the country’s energy system.
For this reason, all technicians have been put on alert. This was announced by the Greek energy minister Kostas Skrekas on Sunday evening.
Fire risk remains high
All existing energy plants have been connected to the national energy system, it said. The community service warned again that the risk of fire remains high because of the drought. The fire brigade brought a major fire on the Peloponnese peninsula under control on Sunday with the massive use of fire-fighting planes and helicopters.
Almost all meteorologists are already talking about a “historical heat wave” and compare the duration and the high temperatures with those in 1987. At that time, after several days with values above 40 degrees, estimates of more than 4000 people in Greece had died. Some meteorologists even fear that the thermometers could show a record in Europe in the coming days. In 1977, 48 degrees Celsius were measured in Athens and the city of Elefsina, some 30 kilometers to the west. This is the highest temperature measured in Europe to date.
Temperatures are a health risk
The dangerous thing – say doctors – is that the temperature does not fall below 30 degrees even at night. So the body cannot recover from the heat after several days of agony. Air conditioning systems also have side effects: Many people already have sore throats and headaches because of the air in the air conditioning systems, which run around the clock.
Doctors advise avoiding alcohol, drinking water and only eating low-fat foods. One should take care of the children and the elderly, it was said – the heat stroke was laure. This also applies to tourists who are not familiar with the extreme heat. When this heat will subside is unclear. Some meteorologists believe the dangerous situation could last for up to two weeks.
Fires in Turkey
The heat wave is also continuing in Turkey. Temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius are expected in the fire-affected provinces of Antalya and Mugla in the coming days. Winds of up to 30 kilometers per hour are also expected in the Bodrum holiday region.
The wind has been hindering the extinguishing work for days and ensures that fires spread quickly and fires that were believed to have been extinguished reignite. The mayor of Bodrum had therefore called on the residents on Sunday to keep watch and to put out smaller fires that flared up with water.
Sicily also affected
In Italy, the holiday island of Sicily was particularly affected by fires at the weekend. Especially in the east around the city of Catania, the flames caused severe damage, including in holiday complexes on beaches. Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi signed a decree on Sunday, clearing the way for more fire brigade troops from other regions to be sent to Sicily to help.
For Monday, the civil protection authority lowered the fire risk in many areas of Sicily. The medium warning level applied to the entire island. Previously, among other things, the east was divided into the red and highest fire risk zones. The temperatures there were last around 40 degrees Celsius. On Monday they should be well above 30 degrees Celsius again. Drought and strong winds coupled with the heat ensured that the flames could spread quickly.
Before that, the west of the holiday island of Sardinia was badly affected by fires. There were also flames in tourist areas. The island’s civil protection authority only predicted a medium fire risk for all of Sardinia on Monday. More bushfires are blazing on the mainland in southern Italy. dpa
