Date:
13 July 2007
Although many countries in Europe were affected by unseasonally high temperatures during the summer of 2007, one country, which especially hard hit was Greece. In fact, during June and July of 2007 Greece began to see temperatures rise and was the highest the country had ever seen since measurements were started to be recorded more than 110 years ago. The highest temperatures of all during the Greek heatwave were recorded over a 9-day period in June 2007.
Not only did the temperatures at one point get measured at 44.80 degrees Celsius but over 130 wild fires took place as well. These fires during the 9-day heatwave resulted in many thousands of acres of land being destroyed. But it was the heat alone that caused this damage to occur it was also the northerly winds that were blowing which helped to fan the fires further.
But as well, as damage to land and property caused by the fires there were other problems that the Greek people and visitors to the country had to contend with as well. During the heatwave there were several blackouts occurring because the electricity supply within the country was unable to cope with the demand being placed upon it. In fact, several areas of the capital Athens were without power because the system had become overloaded due to the number of people turning on air conditioning units.
However, for some people the heatwave became too much and during this time a number of people lost their lives. Some of the most common complaints that doctors in hospitals were faced with during this time were people coming in suffering from heatstroke. Unfortunately, during this time, a number of elderly people died who were being treated for heatstroke but their bodies were unable to cope.
Because of the rising temperatures, the Greek Health Minister brought in emergency measures to help the country cope with the situation. It is probably because of these measures that far fewer people died.
But as well as the high temperatures, that Greece was faced with them were also having problems with humidity levels during the heatwave. It was these humidity levels that were further adding to the discomfort that many people were feeling during the Greek Heatwave. Yet many counteracted this problem by heading to beaches early each morning in order to get away from the oppressive heat to be found in the towns.
Certainly when it came to the Greek heatwave because the country was well prepared for such situations, this was probably one of the reasons why so few people succumbed to the heat. It is the emergency measures, which the Government implemented which helped them in keeping the situation under control so effectively.
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