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ARMENIANS URGED TO GUARD AGAINST UNPRECEDENTED HEAT
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug. 10, 2006
Medical authorities urged the population on Thursday to stay indoors
in the afternoon and take other precautions against a blistering
heatwave that has gripped Yerevan and other parts of Armenia this week.
According to meteorologists, air temperature hit almost 42 degrees
Celsius on Wednesday and was just as high the next day, making August
the hottest month registered in the country in a century.
"This is the highest temperature registered in Yerevan in the last
100 years," said Albert Torosian, deputy director of the national
meteorological service. Torosian blamed the weather on air currents
flowing into Armenia from the south and said it will remain extremely
hot for at least two more days.
The Armenian Ministry of Health, meanwhile, advised citizens --
pregnant women, elderly people and children in particular -- to avoid
walking in the streets from noon until 5 p.m. local time and to drink
at least three liters of water a day. Armenians were also urged to
cover their heads and wear cotton clothes when going out.
The summer heatwave is not confined to Armenia and the region. Many
parts of Europe and the United States have also been suffering from
an extremely hot weather and have reported scored of casualties. In
France alone, the heat has already claimed more than 100 lives.
The Armenian authorities have not reported any fatalities yet. Still,
health officials said the number of ambulance calls has soared
in recent years. Elmira Gevorgian, a senior doctor at the Health
Ministry's ambulance service, told RFE/RL that her medics received some
50 heat-related calls and treated at least five people who fainted
on the streets of Yerevan on Wednesday. She said exposure to heat is
particularly dangerous for people suffering from cardiac diseases.
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug. 10, 2006
Medical authorities urged the population on Thursday to stay indoors
in the afternoon and take other precautions against a blistering
heatwave that has gripped Yerevan and other parts of Armenia this week.
According to meteorologists, air temperature hit almost 42 degrees
Celsius on Wednesday and was just as high the next day, making August
the hottest month registered in the country in a century.
"This is the highest temperature registered in Yerevan in the last
100 years," said Albert Torosian, deputy director of the national
meteorological service. Torosian blamed the weather on air currents
flowing into Armenia from the south and said it will remain extremely
hot for at least two more days.
The Armenian Ministry of Health, meanwhile, advised citizens --
pregnant women, elderly people and children in particular -- to avoid
walking in the streets from noon until 5 p.m. local time and to drink
at least three liters of water a day. Armenians were also urged to
cover their heads and wear cotton clothes when going out.
The summer heatwave is not confined to Armenia and the region. Many
parts of Europe and the United States have also been suffering from
an extremely hot weather and have reported scored of casualties. In
France alone, the heat has already claimed more than 100 lives.
The Armenian authorities have not reported any fatalities yet. Still,
health officials said the number of ambulance calls has soared
in recent years. Elmira Gevorgian, a senior doctor at the Health
Ministry's ambulance service, told RFE/RL that her medics received some
50 heat-related calls and treated at least five people who fainted
on the streets of Yerevan on Wednesday. She said exposure to heat is
particularly dangerous for people suffering from cardiac diseases.