People are finding their relatives dead upon visiting their homes- that’s the situation of Canada as dozens are dying due to the scorching heat. The weather has reached the nation’s highest ever recorded with 49.6 degrees C in Lytton, British Columbia on Tuesday. Lytton is a small village located around 250 km east of Vancouver.
Breaking records, Canada witnessed the death of at least 233 people in the West coast province alone in 4 days (Friday to Monday). More reports are being filed and the number is expected to increase, police said.
Cops in the Vancouver area said the death reports mostly belonged to elderly people and those with comorbidities with heat being the trigger factor. However, many others are also dying due to the rise in temperature. The heat is feared to affect older people, infants and young children the most with severe or fatal results, Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said.
Though it is difficult to connect a single occurrence to global warming, the climate change of Canada is likely to shake the temperature scale and increase the frequency of extreme weather events, experts warned.
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Northwestern US too has witnessed heatwaves and scores of fatalities.
Greg Flato, a senior research scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, Victoria, said the Pacific Northwest heatwaves usually remain showered with rain and not scorched by the sun, however, the ongoing episode is due to a high-pressure system that isn’t moving. This is a dome of static high-pressure hot air enveloping the area from California to the Arctic territories. Though coastal areas are seeing a bit of relief, inland areas are hardly getting a break from the heat.
Canada never passed on its temperature scale beyond 45 C. it was recorded in the year 1937 in Saskatchewan, according to the Environment and Climate Change Canada. Sunday changed this event in history despite the country being infamous for its brutal winters and snow.
The hottest week in Canada resulted in “disastrous consequences for families and for communities”, British Columbia Premier John Horgan said. The heatwaves brought unexpected deaths of 65 people in Vancouver alone since Friday.
Police sergeant Steve Addison said, “I’ve been a police officer for 15 years and I’ve never experienced the volume of sudden deaths that have come in in such a short period of time.” Generally, 3-4 death reports come in a day.
Attending increased volume of emergency calls has become difficult and several police officers have been deployed to answer them.
A resident of the area, Meghan Fandrich shared the difficulties they are facing due to the heat as it has become “almost impossible” to go outside. “It’s been intolerable. We’re trying to stay indoors as much as possible. We’re used to the heat, and it’s a dry heat, but 30 [degrees] is a lot different from 47,” she said.
Several people, who do not have air conditioners at home, are being forced to suffer the heat as their area witnesses milder temperatures during summers as well. As such, temporary water fountains and cooling centres have been set up.
Heat warnings have been issued in British Columbia, Albert, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba by the Environment Canada.
The heat has also developed fears of wild fires. Weather anchor at Global News Calgary, Jodi Hughes, said that firefighters are very concerned about the chances of forest fires, induced further by thunderstorms that are possible due to the changing weather conditions.
