Heatwave safety: protecting yourself, children and older people

Summers are getting hotter almost everywhere, and heatwaves last longer. Extreme heat doesn’t look as dramatic as an earthquake or a flood, but in Europe alone it kills tens of thousands of people each year, mostly older people living alone.

Weather services issue color-coded heat warnings. At orange and red, the health risk is high even for healthy people.

How to keep your home cool

• By day, windows closed and blinds down, especially on the sunny side. Light-colored curtains or reflective window film help a lot.
• At night and early morning, ventilate with a cross-breeze between windows on opposite sides.
• Switch off appliances that give off heat (oven, tumble dryer, computers left on).
• A fan helps up to about 35°C (95°F). Above that it just moves hot air around; combine it with damp towels or a bowl of ice in front of it.
• If you have air conditioning, set it to 24 to 26°C (75 to 79°F). There’s no need for more, and you avoid big temperature jumps.

How to protect yourself

• Drink often, 2 to 3 liters a day, even if you’re not thirsty. Avoid alcohol, too much coffee and very sugary drinks.
• Eat light: fruit, vegetables, salads, small portions.
• Avoid going out in the hottest hours. If you must, stay in the shade, wear a hat and loose light-colored clothes and carry water.
• Take lukewarm (not cold) showers several times a day.
• Never leave children or pets in a parked car, not even for a few minutes. The temperature inside can exceed 50°C (122°F) very quickly.
• Call older parents and neighbors every day.

Warning signs

Heat exhaustion

Heavy sweating, pale and clammy skin, tiredness, dizziness, nausea, headache, muscle cramps.

What to do: move the person to the shade or a cool room, lay them down with their legs slightly raised, give them water in small sips and cool them with damp cloths. If they don’t recover within 30 minutes or get worse, call the emergency number.

Heatstroke: a medical emergency

Very high body temperature, hot red and often dry skin, fast pulse, confusion, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, seizures.

What to do:

1. Call the emergency number immediately.
2. Move the person somewhere cool.
3. Cool them as fast as possible: cold compresses on the neck, armpits and groin, splashing with water and a fan.
4. If they’re conscious and can swallow, give small amounts of water.
5. If they’re unconscious, put them in the recovery position and watch their breathing.

Heatwave checklist

• I’ve checked the weather warnings for the coming days
• I have enough water at home and in the fridge
• Sunny windows have blinds, curtains or film
• I have a working fan
• I’ve arranged to call older relatives and neighbors daily
• I know where my city’s cooling centers are
• I’ve asked my doctor about medicines that increase heat sensitivity

Heatwaves often bring power cuts when air conditioning overloads the grid. See also what to do in a long power outage.