Posted on 07/20/2005 8:01:52 PM PDT by Libloather
Broiling summer brings droughts
By John Tagliabue The New York Times
TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2005
PARIS - All through a long hot summer, the temperatures in Europe have soared to unusual levels.
In central France, three firemen died on Sunday trying to control a fire in a barn. In Spain on Monday, the police discovered the bodies of 11 firemen who died after being trapped by a giant forest fire in the central part of the country.
In Switzerland, Alpine rescuers recovered the body of a climber yielded up by a melting glacier more than 20 years after he plunged to his death in the Alps.
The furnace-like weather has brought to several countries, including France, Spain and Portugal, their worst droughts since the early postwar years, when records were first kept. Tinder-dry conditions now stretch from north Africa to the north of France, causing billions of euros' worth of damage as crops dry up, rivers evaporate and farmland turns yellow.
As temperatures threatened to soar in parts of France through the week, the health minister, Xavier Bertrand, released more than $31 million in emergency funds under a plan to help protect elderly people from the effects of the heat. The national heat wave plan was set up after the summer of 2003, when summer temperatures consistently higher than 32 degrees Celsius, or 90 degrees Fahrenheit, killed 15,000 people, mostly elderly, and prompted a national outcry. Bertrand was moved to take action after the news that two elderly homeless people had been found dead, apparently victims of the excessive heat, in the coastal town of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany.
European leaders have been calling on the people to restrain their use of water to help stretch supplies.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
Drink more wine? Say, what is wine made from?
The Frogs need to discover 'Le Freon'
I lived in San Antonio for 20+ years. It was basically above 90 every day from May 1 through Sept 15. EVERY YEAR.
They had these inventions called "air conditioners". They cooled off your house.
They had things called "lakes". Basically a big pool of water you swim in.
They had a thing called the ocean. You could swim in that, or just soak up its breeze.
They had things called "margaritas". You could....
Oh, never mind.
Is it really a true, verifyable fact that 15,000 people died in France during last summer's heat wave? Where can I find the information?
Yeah, it really happened and it was big news. Where were you?
Oh good grief! Does no one over there own an A/C? In their cars? Besides, 90 degrees? C'mon, people didn't die in the south in those numbers before air conditioning. I don't get it. Do they not know fans and water? It's not like they're working or anything.
I lived in San Antonio in the early '80's. Can't really recall much of those times either...
I grew up in New Orleans, and always got amazed when I started hearing people dying when the temp got to 90. Shucks, we were lucky if the nighttime temp got to 80, about 4 in the morning. Somewhere about the 2 week of May it'd climb up there, and stay hot, sometimes to mid October...
I guess it's what you're used to.
Yep, that ocean in San Antonio is one of my favorites. Close behind, however, is the one in Arizona.
LOFLMAO
Grape juice.
Pinging the wine group in the doldrums of summer.
It goes without saying that they will surrender to the heat.
A lot of people lived in Texas before there was air conditioning or even easy access to ice.
It was mainly old people left in their old folks homes while their families went on their famous (and popular) month-long vacations. Came home to find grandmere and grandpere rotting in a makeshift morgue.
With Europe's high temperatures, maybe this will be the year to finally discover 'Noah's Ark' ?
The MSM has finally discovered that it gets warm in the summer. Not only in North America, but in Europe as well. The amazing thing is that the story treats it like the natives are surprised that it does so each year. They must sit around in the newsroom saying, "What can we put on the news tonight?" Son of a Gun it is hot in Chicago. Not only hot, but it is over 100. People are going to die. Then we see a clip of some old. presumably poor person saying that it is just like heat coming out of an oven. Is this news? Everyone knows that it is hot in the summer! Arrest all the usual suspects. We will stop this! By the way, it is the US's fault. No! No! I was wrong. It is Bush's fault, and he did it for the oil.
France didn't lose 15,000 people due to the heat in 2003, they lost 15,000 people due to neglect. A lot of people took off for their socialist-guaranteed vacation in August and left their enfeebled Granny behind to fend for herself. They died of neglect -- not heat.
Can't argue here! Bender was there...
I had the Top Hat already... From Fry's birthday, don't ya know.
oh boy.
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