How Seoul braces for relentless heat
Jung-gu in central Seoul was one of the districts to roll out an early heat wave response by providing free bottled water.
According to the district office, it installed bottled water refrigerators at five frequently visited public locations to prevent dehydration and heatstroke among senior residents, people with disabilities and those engaging in long hours of outdoor activities.
The water refrigerators operate daily from 10 a.m. Each is filled with 600 bottles daily, with three deliveries to restock water bottles at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., making a total of 3,000 bottles available to Jung-gu residents.
The district office added that it introduced a new system that automatically dispenses one bottle every 15 seconds to prevent a specific user from taking multiple bottles and ensure more people can benefit from the water refrigerators.
Separate response teams are set to monitor the sites and check the condition of the refrigerators to minimize public inconvenience.
Though the operating time and the number of water bottles available vary by the district, Gangguk-gu in northern Seoul and Seongdong-gu in central Seoul recently launched bottled water refrigerators as well.
Meanwhile, Gangnam-gu in southern Seoul is scheduled to operate 108 heat shelters to safeguard public health and prevent heat-related risks.
Various facilities, ranging from the community service centers, 'smart shelters' — the city's high-tech bus stops — to libraries and social welfare centers, are designated as heat shelters, maintaining a temperature between 26 to 28 degrees Celsius.
The Gangnam-gu office added that 23 heat shelters in district office buildings and community centers will extend their operating time to 9 p.m. when heat wave advisories or warnings are issued. The shelters will be available during the weekends and public holidays.
Heat wave advisories and warnings in Korea are issued when the highest apparent temperature is expected to exceed 33 and 35 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Gangnam-gu-based hotels also agreed to provide safe shelters for seniors living alone, near-poverty households and recipients of the basic living allowance when the heat wave warnings are issued.
Those who wish to use the hotel facilities can apply at the community service centers.
Each person can stay up to five days and the safe shelters will be managed from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next day.
Jongno-gu in central Seoul also joined hands with three hotels to offer safe accommodations and will cover the daily accommodation fee of 90,000 won ($65.49) for its near-poverty households, recipients of the basic living allowance and seniors.
The accommodation fee can be applied for up to 10 nights.
Jongno-gu office added that it installed ceiling-mounted air conditioners for some 40 households with severely ill patients and residents over the age of 70.
Other district offices, including Songpa-gu in southeastern Seoul and Geumcheong-gu in western Seoul, installed heat reduction facilities and will dispatch social workers, caregivers or nurses to check in on those in vulnerable groups via phone calls or on-site visits.
A total of 400 welfare kits filled with food-related packages and hygiene products were also prepared to be delivered to the underprivileged people in Songpa-gu.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
5 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Heat wave scorches Europe and fans wildfire threat in France
PARIS (AP) — A heat wave gripping parts of Europe sent temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius in southern France and the Western Balkans on Monday, fueling wildfires, triggering top-level weather alerts and forcing evacuations in several countries across what scientists warn is the world's fastest-warming continent. Fires burned in France's Aude wine region, along Bulgaria's southern borders, near Montenegro's capital and coast, and in Turkey's northwest — and Hungary recorded record-breaking weekend temperatures. 2025 is predicted to be the second- or third-warmest year on record, according to the UK-based Carbon Brief. The extreme heat in Europe fits that global pattern — but the continent is heating far faster than the rest of the world. Land temperatures have risen about 2.3 C above pre-industrial levels, nearly twice the global average, intensifying heat waves and driving record fire seasons. With major outbreaks in Spain, Portugal and deadly blazes in Greece since late June, the burned area is already far above the seasonal norm. On Monday, the French national weather authority, Meteo-France, placed 12 departments on red alert, the country's highest heat warning, anticipating exceptional heat stretching from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean plains. Forty-one other departments were under lower-level orange alerts, as was the neighboring microstate of Andorra, between France and Spain. 'Don't be fooled — this isn't 'normal, it's summer.' It's not normal, it's a nightmare,' agricultural climatologist Serge Zaka told broadcaster BFMTV from Montauban in France's Tarn-et-Garonne department, where the blistering heat pressed relentlessly throughout the day. Social media images showed shuttered streets in Valence, residents shielding windows with foil to reflect the light, and tourists huddling under umbrellas along the Garonne in Toulouse. Across the south, café terraces stood empty as people sought cooler corners indoors. In France's Aude department, a patchwork of vineyards and Mediterranean scrubland, hundreds of firefighters remained in the rolling wine country guarding the edges of a massive, deadly blaze that scorched 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres) last week. Officials say the fire is under control but warn it will not be fully extinguished for weeks, with hot spots still smoldering and at risk of reigniting. The red alert in France has been issued only eight times since it was created in 2004 after a deadly summer the year before. It is reserved for extreme, prolonged heat with major health risks and the potential to disrupt daily life. The designation gives local officials powers to cancel outdoor events, close public venues and alter school or summer camp schedules. The heat wave, France's second of the summer, began Friday and is expected to last all week, carrying into the Aug. 15 holiday weekend. It is already pushing northward, with 38 C forecast in the Center-Val de Loire region and up to 34 C in Paris. Across the English Channel, the UK's Met Office expects the country's fourth heat wave of the summer to peak around 33 C in London on Tuesday. The UK Health Security Agency issued a yellow health alert for older adults and those with medical conditions. Montenegro reported wildfires near the capital Podgorica and along the Adriatic coast, prompting urgent appeals for help from neighboring countries. Families were evacuated from an area north of the capital as army units worked to protect the ruins of the ancient city of Duklja. Senior emergency official Nikola Bojanovic described the situation as 'catastrophic,' with strong winds driving the flames. Authorities urged residents to conserve drinking water to avoid restrictions. Fires also burned above Canj, a popular coastal resort. Bosnia's southern city of Mostar reached 43 C, while Croatia's Dubrovnik hit 34 C in the morning. 'It's too hot, this is not normal,' said Fatima Safro, a resident of Mostar. 'It's very hot even during the night.' In Serbia, farmers on Suva Planina mountain renewed appeals for emergency water supplies for livestock after streams and ponds dried up. In Bulgaria, temperatures were expected to exceed 40 C Monday at the day's peak, with maximum fire danger alerts in place. Nearly 200 fires have been reported; most have been brought under control, localized and extinguished, but the situation remains 'very challenging,' said Alexander Dzhartov, head of the national fire safety unit. Three major blazes continue along the borders with Greece and Turkey, including one near Strumyani that reignited after three weeks. More than 100 firefighters and emergency personnel are battling flames in rugged terrain unreachable by vehicles, supported by army helicopters and two Swedish aircraft. In Turkey, a wildfire fueled by high temperatures and strong winds forced authorities to evacuate holiday homes and a university campus and to suspend maritime traffic in the country's northwest. The fire broke out in an agricultural field in the province of Canakkale and spread into surrounding forestland, just two days after firefighting teams had contained a similar blaze in the area. Canakkale Gov. Omer Toraman said the Dardanelles Strait — the narrow waterway linking the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara — was closed to allow water-dropping planes and helicopters to operate safely. Sunday brought a new national high of 39.9 C on Sunday in the southeast, breaking a record set in 1948. Budapest also recorded a city record at 38.7 C. Authorities imposed a nationwide fire ban amid extreme heat and drought.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Firefighters bring huge blaze in France under control
RIBAUTE, France (AFP) -- Firefighters have contained a massive wildfire in southern France but still face a "complicated" struggle, but officials warned on Sunday that scorching heat and dry winds could reignite the blaze. The fire, which has ravaged a vast area of France's southern Aude department, killing one person and injuring several others, comes as parts of the Mediterranean region face a heatwave. "The fire is now under control. This still requires continued mobilization. We must hold on and not weaken," Amelie Trioux, chief of staff of the Aude prefect, told a press briefing. Authorities said that hot, dry winds on Sunday -- similar to those on the day the blaze began -- and a heatwave would make the work of firefighters more difficult. Some 1,300 firefighters were drafted in to stop the blaze from flaring up amid fears that winds blowing around 50 kilometers per hour could fan lingering hot spots. The blaze -- the largest in at least 50 years -- tore through 16,000 hectares of vegetation, disaster officials said. Temperatures in the coming days are expected to hit 42 degrees Celsius in some areas, according to national weather service Meteo France. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, a 65-year-old woman was found dead on Wednesday in her home, which was devastated by flames. Authorities said one resident suffered serious burns and four others were lightly injured, while 19 firefighters were hurt, including one with a head injury. Thirty-six houses were destroyed, others damaged, and more than 20 agricultural sheds burned. Extremely angry For livestock farmers in Fontjoncouse, the fire has ravaged grazing land and wiped out much of their flocks, fueling outrage among those who said they did not have time to evacuate their animals. Emmanuelle Bernier said she was "extremely angry" when she returned to a devastating scene, finding the pen that had housed her herd of goats in ruins, with 17 animals -- some close to giving birth -- lost in the fire. "I will definitely change jobs. This will change my whole life," she said. Bernier's property now holds only a few geese and two sick goats after she entrusted her surviving sheep to a local winegrower, as the farm was too damaged for them to stay. But as she surveyed the scorched landscape, Bernier voiced some hope for the future. "There's still a little life left," she said. Hard to bear Experts warn that European countries are becoming ever more vulnerable to such disasters due to intensifying summer heatwaves linked to global warming. Residents of southern France said the high temperatures are becoming unbearable, especially for the most vulnerable, including the elderly or children. "I've never experienced a heatwave as hard to bear as this year," said Monique Beluy, 81, in the southern city of Marseille, who worries about living alone. "I'm feeling less and less calm given my age and my health. I know I'm more vulnerable," she said. High temperatures are likely to persist through the end of the week, according to Meteo France.
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Korea Herald
Summer 2025 already a cavalcade of climate extremes
PARIS (AFP) -- Record heat, massive fires, deadly floods ... August has barely begun, but the summer of 2025 is already marked by a cascade of destructive and deadly weather in the northern hemisphere. "Extreme temperatures and precipitation have become more intense and more frequent on a global scale," says Sonia Seneviratne, a professor at ETH Zurich and member of the UN-mandated climate science advisory panel, the IPCC. "We are in the midst of climate change," Fred Hattermann, a scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, told Agence France-Presse. "The risk of extreme events has increased significantly," he said, noting that 2024 was the first year in which the planet's average surface temperature was 1.6 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial benchmark. That deceptively small jump makes a huge difference. Higher temperatures increase evaporation, so that more water is stored in the atmosphere. This, in turn, increases the risk of heavy rainfall and flooding. "with every increment of temperature rise the risk of more and stronger extremes increases," Hattermann added. Already in May, temperatures exceeded 50 C in the United Arab Emirates. On Aug. 1, the thermometer hit 51.8 C, just under the all-time record of 52 C. The entire Gulf region is suffocating: the Saudi capital Riyadh recorded temperatures of 44 C, while Kuwait frequently hit 50 C. As did Iraq, where air conditioning has become vulnerable to chronic power cuts, and water reserves are at their lowest level in years. Turkey saw the 50 C threshold exceeded for the first time: the town of Silopi on the border with Iraq and Syria reached 50.5 C on July 26. The country has experienced thousands of fires this summer amidst a severe drought. In Asia, meanwhile, Japan broke its all-time temperature record on Tuesday with 41.8 C in the city of Isesaki, northwest of Tokyo. The country's iconic cherry trees, emblematic of the archipelago, are blooming earlier than ever due to the heat. On Tuesday, Hong Kong saw the highest rainfall total for August in more than 140 years of record-keeping: 35.5 centimetres in a single day. On mainland China, a week earlier, severe weather killed at least 44 people and left nine missing in rural districts north of Beijing. 266 people, nearly half of them children, have already lost their lives in Pakistan due to torrential rains sweeping across the country. The 2025 monsoon, which started early, was described as "unusual" by authorities. Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, recorded 73 percent more rainfall in July than in 2024. People come to Scandinavia to seek cooler climes, but since July Norway, Sweden and Finland have experienced sustained temperatures more typical of the Mediterranean. Aug. 3 marked the end of a 22-day period with temperatures above 30 C in Finland: a record. In Rovaniemi, a Finnish city north of the Arctic Circle, temperatures reached 30 C, higher than in southern Europe at the same time. Canada is experiencing one of the worst forest fire seasons on record, amplified by drought and above-normal temperatures. Other parts of the world are also burning, from Scotland to Arizona and Greece. According to the European Union's Copernicus weather and climate observatory, total smoke and greenhouse gas emissions since the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere are among the highest ever recorded.
