Grrrrrr. I was not impressed late last month and earlier this month when some bloggers made jokes about heat related deaths in France under the guise of punditry.
I’m really not impressed now.
AP (Associated Press) has been compling statistics on heat related deaths in Europe this summer.
I’m heading out to a course, or I’d look up some of the posts that were….were…. (sputtering)….although I believe I commented at most of them at the time.
The heat wave that scorched Europe in August killed more than 19,000 people, according to official estimates tallied by The Associated Press, making it one of the deadliest hot-weather disasters in a century. The death toll may be higher: the AP survey of a dozen countries found that two — Germany and Spain — have attributed only a fraction of summer fatalities to heat so far.
Read the article. There is a break down by countries, and how they are compiling the data.
And the next time bloggers want to bash the French and Europeans and their governments for being wimps…..
A sizzling July in 1901 baked the midwestern United States, claiming more than 9,500 lives, according to a report in NOAA, the former magazine of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Yep. Real funny.
Published 4 years, 10 months ago
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Hi Bene
I too agree that joking about deaths is never funny. However, I don’t think that France is above criticism (I’m not quite sure if that is your point, btw - so forgive me if I’m going off on a tangent). If such a thing as this happened in the U.S. (and, where I live, I regularly is over 100 degrees F in the summers), or if we ever came anywhere near this kind of death toll for a heatwave heads would roll.
The death toll for the midwest that you mentioned is terrible, but it also happened over a hundred years ago. Such a thing simply wouldn’t happen in the U.S. now. The fact that it can happen in France says a lot about France’s relative preparation, or extreme lack thereof. It’s open to a great deal of criticism.
Just not joking.
If you read the AP compilation you’ll see this was an extrodinary weather event similar to the one in 1901.
Yes, the governments weren’t prepared for a natural anomaly….and will learn from this.
But mocking them for an unexpected event they couldn’t have accounted for was wrong.
I know you live in a very hot climate, and are used to it and it wouldn’t happen in the US south, so I agree with you.
Average mean temps in Europe don’t come close to what you are acclimatized to.
I found the bashing thoughtless and immature, and expected better from people that I consider mature.
If I can find time I’ll see if I can dig up some of the posts, they seemed callous because they were happening to others ‘out there’ and the bloggers weren’t anticipating potentials.
And Bill, you do have enough air conditioners and emergency services, but tell that to people not stil not getting enough assistance from the damage from Isabel.Blog on!
I have often wondered how I would survive in, say, The Congo, or whatever it’s called now. The idea of living in a place that’s so hot and humid is something clear out of my imagining. I suppose a person would somehow get used to it (acclimated, as you say Bene), but I can’t hardly sleep when it’s over 80 without the air conditioning.
God be with all those in Europe as they sort out this and deal with their losses.
Isn’t comparing 1901 versus 2003 somewhat like comparing apples and oranges? Not that both events weren’t tragic, but I think the latter more so because we now have the blessing of air-conditioning.
Perhaps Sah.
It is the assumptions I’m annoyed at.
The assumption that an extreme weather event happens elsewhere and is something to ridicule.
The assumption that people can afford air conditioning.
The assumption it is all the fault of European governments.
In a literal sense it’s apples and oranges.
19 thousand or more people are literally dead.
I agree with you, Bene. Lately I notice that some conservative pundits are far removed from the emotional reality. They want to make a point about socialism or Kyoto or whatever and end up mocking people for suffering a terrible, terrible tragedy.
I suppose for me the most disturbing aspect of the situation in France was not some seeming governmental lack but the fact that many of those that did die were elderly and had been left behind in their city apartments by families who disappear for the month of August. Didn’t the families have some responsibility to at least check on the welfare of elderly rlative? Points more to a breakdown in family than any government blunder - which will strike at the very heart of France as like USA they pride themselves on family.
Many of those that died were elderly and poor so needed all their resources to feed themselves let alone go off and purchase or hire air conditioning. Even if the financial resources had been available I know that Europe itself would not have been prepared for the heatwave that hit and I listened to one manufacturer here in UK whose staff were working literally 24hrs around the clock trying to produce and process their units to people who were desperate and still there was a 6 week wait….a lot of deaths can happen in that time span.
Here in Wales the temperature got to an unreal 38C on many days with a humidity reading of 96 percent it certainly tested many of us in ingenious methods of staying cool in all sense of the word.
Too easy I think to wag a finger, this was abnormal and in an unforseen crisis human beings are all too human even out elected officials.
France was the first to admit they had a serious problem and at least one politican stepped down.
Now other European countries are looking at the events this summer….and need to look at the loses on all levels. Thanks for the info on the UK Daisy. Blog on!