Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 1 august 2018

Animals, crops and people all suffer amid Europe's heatwave

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Temperatures of up to 45
Associated Press C (113 F) are forecast for
BERLIN (AP) — The heat- Spain and Portugal from
wave gripping large Wednesday and authorities
stretches of Europe has are preparing for the mer-
already been blamed for cury to climb even higher
deadly forest fires and crop through Sunday, increasing
failures. Now freshwater fish the risk of emergencies.
could be its next victims. In Spain, 27 of the country's
Some regions in Germany 50 provinces are at "ex-
sweltered as the mercury treme risk" from heat begin-
hit 39 degrees Celsius (102 ning Thursday, the national
Fahrenheit) and the Ger- weather agency said. In
man Meteorological Office neighboring Portugal, the
said the country's record General Directorate for
of 40.3 Celsius (104.5 Fahr- Health warned about dust
enheit) could be topped blowing in from North Af-
Tuesday. rica and authorities said al-
Rivers like the Rhine and most 11,000 firefighters and
the Elbe have soaked up 56 aircraft are on standby
so much heat that fish are to tackle forest fires.
beginning to suffocate. On the other side of the
"I'm expecting a tragedy as continent, Banak peninsula
soon as next week," Philipp in northern Norway report-
Sicher from the Swiss Fishery ed temperatures Monday
Association told German Withered sunflowers in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, July 31, 2018. of 32 degrees Celsius (89.6
news agency dpa. Associated Press Fahrenheit) — highly unusu-
In Hamburg, authorities al for the Arctic Circle.
collected almost five met- the Oder river in eastern because the spuds are so reported hearing frantic Some are benefiting from
ric tons (11,000 pounds) of Germany. small this year. screaming from a woman the simmering heat.
dead fish from ponds over Meanwhile, the country's The oceans, too, have — but it turned out that a Beer brewers in Germany
the weekend, dpa report- Farmer's Association is ask- been affected. hospital had opened its have seen sales rise 0.6 per-
ed. Firefighters have started ing the government for 1 Authorities in Poland last windows because of the cent, or 300,000 hectoliters
pumping fresh water into billion euros ($1.17 billion) in week banned swimming at heat and several women (7.92 million gallons), in the
some ponds and lakes in a financial aid to help cover over 50 beaches along its there were in labor. first half of 2018 compared
bid to raise oxygen levels. losses from this year's poor Baltic Sea coast, after hot Police dogs in the Swiss city to the same period last
Scientists say the record harvest. weather led to the growth of Zurich have been get- year.
heat seen in Europe but Association president of toxic bacteria in the un- ting special shoes to pre- "Especially the alcohol-free
also North America and Joachim Rukwied said Ger- usually warm sea. Water vent them from burning types are currently very
parts of Asia this year points man farmers expect the temperatures in the Baltic their paws on the scorch- much sought after," said
to the influence of man- grain harvest to be 20 per- Sea exceeded 23 C (73.4 ing streets. Swiss authori- Marc-Oliver Huhnholz, from
made climate change and cent smaller than last year, F) in some places. Emer- ties have also cancelled the German Brewer-Associ-
could become more com- with rapeseed crops down gency water rescuers told traditional fireworks dis- ation.
mon in future. 30 percent, as it has barely vacationers on hot, sandy plays in some areas during In Denmark, where the
Several of Germany's nu- rained during the past 12 beaches — from Swinoujs- Wednesday's national holi- Meteorological Institute
clear power stations are weeks, dpa reported. cie in the west to Gdynia in day celebrations, citing the reported that the month
reducing energy output A group representing po- the east — not to enter the high risk of forest fires. of July has been the sun-
because rivers used to cool tato farmers said they're sea, where thick, green- Across Europe, forest fires niest since they started re-
the power plants are too expecting harvests to be brown cyanobacteria have already caused ma- cording data in 1920, sales
warm. 25 percent smaller than colonies have grown and jor damage. On July 23, of alcoholic beverages
The low water levels have last year and warned that pose a health threat. at least 91 people died in dropped in favor of non-
also made shipping more the losses may lead not Police in western Germa- a wildfire in Greece — the alcoholic beers, sodas and
difficult, with a complete only to more expensive but ny, meanwhile, rushed to deadliest in Europe for de- white wine, the country's
ban imposed on boats on also shorter French fries — where callers overnight cades. TV2 reported. q