Escape from the Heat: Here You Can Cool Off
On Thursday, the peak of the first heatwave in Austria is expected with up to 38 degrees in the south and east. Aid organizations are providing cooling opportunities throughout the summer. "Heat breaks" of three hours at under 25 degrees are recommended. These are particularly important for vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, chronically ill, or homeless people. Experts provide tips via the heat hotline to prevent health problems.
Young and old particularly at risk from heat
Particularly at risk from the heat are, to put it bluntly, "the very young and the very old," summarizes Wolfgang Schreiber, chief physician of the Red Cross. Infants and children are more prone to dehydration, he said on Thursday to the APA. Compared to adults, they have a larger body surface area in relation to their body weight. Additionally, young skin is very sensitive to UV radiation. Therefore, children in the sun are at a particularly high risk of sunstroke and sunburn. Infants also have no other way to draw attention to their needs except by crying.
Elderly people are also particularly vulnerable. With age, the body loses fluid. Seniors have fewer reserves for the body to draw upon, explained Schreiber. For them and for children, it is particularly important to drink enough water and avoid direct sunlight. In general, people should "neighborly help" and show attention to others, especially during heatwaves.
Map with cool places and tips from the heat hotline
In recent years, according to Schreiber, the number of offers for cooling spaces has increased. These are primarily intended for vulnerable groups. An initiative by the "Team Austria" from the Austrian Red Cross and Hitradio Ö3 lists publicly accessible, cool indoor spaces throughout Austria on an interactive map. Anyone can add suitable places to the map. The places must be significantly cooler than 25 degrees, and a stay of three hours must be possible, it was stated in a release. Here is the map.
Personal advice on how to cope with the heat can be obtained by interested parties by calling the phone number 0800-880-800. The heat hotline of the Ministry of Health is accessible free of charge from all over Austria. You can call from Monday to Friday between 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, on Saturdays from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, and on Sundays from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Cooling in Churches and Cooling Centers
In Vienna and Lower Austria, there are again 23 climate oases by Caritas: The aid organization, together with parishes, invites people to cool down in the parish courtyards. There are also free cool drinks and snacks available. In the summer of 2024, the climate oases recorded 9,000 visitors according to a Caritas press release from June. Additionally, Caritas distributed drinking water, sunscreen, and summer sleeping bags to the homeless to support them during the hot season.
In Graz, the homeless can cool down at the Caritas railway mission and in the quarters of the Vinzi-Werke, as reported by ORF Styria. Churches, libraries, and other public "cool spaces," where everyone can take a break from the heat, are also open in Graz.
People in Vienna who are suffering from the heat can also cool down for free in the cooling centers of the Red Cross and in the cool zones of the City of Vienna. In the quiet, air-conditioned rooms of the Red Cross, seating and reclining areas and water are available. The 22 cool zones of the City of Vienna are also freely accessible and air-conditioned. In the rooms, which are located in libraries, senior clubs, or municipal offices, there are also rest areas and cool drinks available.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.