Heatwave continues: Europe's homeless suffer as temperatures soar

원문보기: http://www.euronews.com/2018/08/06/heatwave-continues-europe-s-homeless-suffer-as-temperatures-soar

As temperatures across Europe continue to soar, more and more countries are issuing health warnings and urging people to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day.

But with little or no respite from the heat, the weather is proving particularly dangerous for the continent’s homeless.

In Paris, sixty-seven departments are still on heatwave alert with a further warning issued by the Health Minister on Sunday. Agnès Buzyn, who visited the Necker hospital in Paris over the weekend said that 4% of emergency visits were owing to the hot weather – some places reaching temperatures of over 40°C.

Euronews journalist Andrei Vaitovich followed a group of volunteers who provide aid to those who are vulnerable and living in the city.

One of these volunteers, Stefanie, has been helping with providing water supplies. She said: “The idea is that everyone comes with some money, 3-4 euros maximum. We split up and each of us goes to different streets. We look for homeless people, we see what they need and we go to shops and buy water packs to give to them. There is huge solidarity, even taxi drivers are packing their cars and driving around Paris to give out water and talk to people.”

The weather is particularly difficult for those who don’t have any place to go to escape the heat. Most shelters are closed on the weekends when they are needed most.

Anne Souyris, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Health told Euronews:

“During the winter it’s the night time that causes problems, at the moment it’s the daytime. The intense heat is problematic for homeless people. It’s important to open day shelters, which is what we’ve done. It’s not about staying the night and then letting them leave, but about helping them to find more permanent accommodation. It’s a societal problem which we have to cope with more and more.