Close to 2,000 people have died in Spain and Portugal as a result of the current heatwave that is sweeping across Europe.
Weather forecasts say the ongoing heat wave could go on for more than a month and wildfires in the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Portugal have also displaced thousands of people.
Heat waves pose a huge threat to these countries as air conditioning is less commonly installed and used due to the general propensity towards cold rather than heat in the weather.
Portugal’s health ministry reported 1,063 deaths between July 7 and 18 while in Spain more than 500 deaths were logged.
According to Head of Catastrophe Insight for Aon Steve Bowen, a notable portion of European homes were not equipped to handle such heat and this really enhances the concern and risk to the vulnerable segments of the population such as the elderly and homeless.
“This heat wave has been well forecast for nearly a week, so the hope is that enough lead time will help limit the number of casualties — though, sadly, the toll is already quickly mounting,” said Bowen.
In France wildfires were still burning a day after several French cities suffered their hottest ever day. A popular tourist region in south-west France, Gironde, was particularly badly hit with 19,300 hectares of land destroyed.
Some 14,900 people were evacuated from towns in this region as they confronted fires and choking smoke. A total of 31,000 people were forced to leave their homes and vacations spots since July 12 as 1,500 firefighters struggle to contain the fires in the area.
A dozen animals at the zoo in La Teste-de-Buch died of stress and heat as well. The remaining 363 animals have been shipped by zookeepers and vets to cooler regions.
Forecasters say the heatwave is heading north with temperatures expected to hit 40 degrees celcious in Belgium as well as Germany.
In the UK, temperatures hit an all time high of 40.3 celcious. People have been discouraged from travel by rail with certain key routes completely suspended.
In Luton Airport flights were also suspended on July 19 as the hot weather melted the runway at the Royal Air Force’s Brize Norton airbase.
According to Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, the UK simply could not cope with heatwaves due to its “outdated and inadequate infrasctucture and a widespread lack of air conditioning.”