Sendy Veerabadren explains more about the work of the French Red Cross. Before that stands the development of the right tools and technical resources. Developing a guide was one of the first steps, but also developing and promoting videos and more with information on how people and their communities can act while a heat wave strikes. “We have to learn to deal with different types of catastrophes”, explains Veerabadren.
Juliane Kemen gives insights into how older people deal with heat in the city of Cologne. “Our goal was the development of a health action plan for people older than 65”, explains Kemen. In Cologne, the different parts of the city are affected differently by the heat. In their project, they asked their test persons about their general health and what kind of symptoms they perceive during a heat wave. They also tried to find out more about their coping strategies. “Some of the underused strategies included cooling with water”, says Kemen. “They should be promoted more, whereas buying an AC should not be recommended.” More information especially about coping possibilities would be a huge advantage.