Saxony is preparing: Red alert against heat waves and drought!

Saxony is preparing: Red alert against heat waves and drought!

The alarm bell is ringing in Saxony: the government is intensively preparing for the upcoming challenges posed by heat waves and droughts. Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) recently handed over five command vehicles to the districts of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains, Meißen, Northern Saxony and the Vogtland district. He strongly warns against underestimating the seriousness of heat and drought. At a security cabinet meeting in Dresden, current preparations to deal with future disasters were discussed. External experts were brought in to assess the authorities' approach and gain valuable insights into how Day24 reported.

A look at the weather developments in recent years shows that the heat-related challenges are not far off. Since 2022, the sunniest and warmest year since records began in Germany, extreme temperatures have become the new normal. In 2022, Germany experienced a variety of heat waves, with the hottest day of the year on July 15, when temperatures shot to 38.8 degrees in Erlangen. Not surprisingly, nine of the ten warmest years worldwide have occurred in the 21st century. These developments are part of a larger pattern: global temperatures have risen 1.7 degrees since 1881, well above the global average. This has had devastating consequences, with an estimated excess mortality of 4,500 people in Germany due to heat waves in 2022 alone, reported bpb.de.

Complex infrastructure challenges

But it's not just health that is affected - the infrastructure also faces major challenges. Heat can cause cracked roads, deformed train tracks and aviation problems. Transport routes and food security are at risk; the reliability of IT systems is also put to the test. Interior Minister Schuster has stated that the complexity of the hot locations is multidimensional and at the same time can bring about different crisis scenarios such as water shortages, forest fires and traffic disruptions.

When it comes to water supply, Saxony's government emphasizes that it has “an ace up its sleeve” to deal with these crises. Health Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) praised Dresden's already established heat protection concept, while Leipzig and Chemnitz still have to work on their own plans. Currently, less than one percent of Saxon municipalities have a heat protection plan, a situation that urgently needs to be addressed.

Health risks in focus

The health risks associated with these climate changes are significant. A study examined the impact of rising summer temperatures on health, particularly in Spain. Accordingly, the risk of hospitalizations increases by an average of 13 to 16 percent on extremely hot days. People with metabolic disorders and severe overweight are particularly at risk, as their likelihood of being admitted at high temperatures increases by up to 98 percent RiffReporter reports.

These worrying figures show how important it is to educate the population about the dangers of heatwaves and to develop prevention strategies. Health Minister Köpping warns that it is important to sensitize those responsible without falling into scaremongering. A well-considered approach could be crucial for dealing with future heat waves in Saxony and beyond.