Animals in the Hungarian zoos receive ice cream to battle the increasing heat.Continue reading
Raising the former heat warning even more, Chief Medical Officer Cecília Müller has declared an excessive heat alert in Hungary effective immediately. The state of emergency will remain from Tuesday at 0:00 until Thursday at midnight.
A joint statement by the National Public Health Center (NNK) and the National Directorate General for Disaster Management (OKF) was provided to MTI. The statement emphasizes that the current ongoing heat wave is especially dangerous for young children, the elderly, as well as those suffering from heart and vascular afflictions.
The statement suggests that no one should be out in the sun between 11:00 and 15:00 if possible, and if going out, one should wear proper attire and use sunscreen. If possible, everyone should stay in the shade, in an area with air conditioning, and heavy physical work should be avoided in the warmest hours. A list of air-conditioned places is available on the National Directorate General for Disaster Management’s website.
For those in Budapest, areas to cool off have been made available, and the number of water fountains is being increased. Specific locations of such fountains can be found on husito.budapest.hu.
It is important to drink plenty of water, and avoid too much caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and greasy foods.
The statement also emphasizes that those in cars should be careful when driving in the heat, and that they should not leave children (or pets) in the car. If anyone does see a child left in a car, they should immediately call 112 for help. Furthermore, no hand sanitizers, paint thinners, paint, or lighters should be left in cars, since they can catch fire in the heat.
Plants are also more susceptible to drying up and catching fire. In Bács-Kiskun, Csongrád-Csanád and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok fire bans have been put in place. In forests, fires can only be starting in specified campfire areas, and only when there is no fire ban.
The statement by NNK and OKF emphasizes that carbon-monoxide levels could increase in the heat, since the inner temperatures of chimneys are lower than the temperature outside, resulting in the trapping of carbon. If it ends up in a water heater, the entire house could be filled with carbon-monoxide. This is why it is important to have a carbon-monoxide detector at home if a water heater is used.
The National Meteorological Service said on Monday that temperatures could reach 40 degrees Celsius at their hottest, cooling down to 24 degrees in the coldest hours. The temperature is expected to decrease over the weekend.
Featured photo illustration by Zoltán Máthé/MTI