PEOPLE, by David Chiu: Authorities in France said there were 1,000 more deaths last week amid a heat wave that has broken records across Europe.
According to a news release from Santé Publique France, the nation’s public health agency, there were over 1,200 deaths (from all causes) recorded on Wednesday, June 24. That number increased to over 1,400 fatalities on Thursday, June 25, and was the same for Friday, June 26. By comparison, in the months before the heat wave began, there were about 900-1,000 deaths per day.
Regions that have particularly seen the increase in deaths over the last few days included Île-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Normandy, and Pays de la Loire.
Santé Publique France said that while the deaths affect all age groups — “serving as a reminder that the effects of the heatwave can impact the entire population” — 85% of the recorded fatalities involved people aged 65 and older.
The agency stated that the number of recorded deaths went up in hospitals, nursing homes, and private residences, while there was also a sharp increase in fatalities that occurred at home.
“This trend highlights the need to reiterate the importance of solidarity with isolated individuals and those experiencing severe loneliness, including in densely populated urban areas,” the agency said.
Additionally, Santé Publique France advised that the number of fatalities could rise as more data about deaths in residential care and private homes become available, Reuters reported.
Laurent Nuñez, France’s interior minister, said on Saturday, June 27, that over 70 people have drowned since June 18, reported The New York Times.
Meanwhile, four children under 5 years old died from the heat while stuck inside cars, according to The Guardian.
In response to the heat wave, Paris officials announced on Thursday, June 25, that the sale and public consumption of alcohol will be restricted, CBS News/AFP reported. The restrictions, however, only apply to the sale of alcohol for take-home consumption, meaning that people can still buy alcohol at bars and restaurants.
Other countries that have recently experienced soaring temperatures, including Germany, Denmark, Spain and the Czech Republic, the Associated Press reported.
Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, described the heat waves in Europe as recurring crises.
“The summers ahead will be harder,” Kluge said in a Tuesday, June 30, news release. “More than half of European Region countries still do not have a comprehensive heat–health action plan in place. That needs to change – and WHO/Europe’s newly updated guidance gives every country, region and city the tools to act now.”
Prophetic Link:
“The time is at hand when there will be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn. Disasters by sea and by land follow one another in quick succession. How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man; but in them all, God’s purpose may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger.” Prophets and Kings, 277.1