In Canada, 619 people died in 2021 west of a severe heat wave

The Intense heat wave That the West suffered Canada According to an official report released on Tuesday, in late June and early July 2021, it caused the deaths of 619 people, most of them elderly and with health problems.

A report from the British Columbia State Coroner’s Office on the Pacific coast of Canada blamed Canadian authorities. Lack of coordination and delay In response to the record temperature of 49.6 degrees Celsius.

Ninety-eight percent of those who died died inside their homes, most of them without air conditioning or fans, or they were not prepared to protect people from high temperatures.

Many lived in “socially or materially backward” environments and Of the 619 deaths, 67 percent were over the age of 70 and 56 percent were living alone.

Many of the dead reported that high temperatures were affecting their health.

The intense heat wave from June 25 to July 1 caused a weather event known as the “heat dome” over British Columbia, which is a collection of warm air in the upper layers of the atmosphere that can affect pressure and wind.

The “heat dome” caused hundreds of fires. Within hours of the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada at 49.6 degrees Celsius, the city of Lytton was completely destroyed by about 250 people inside British Columbia.

This Tuesday, the medical director of the British Columbia Coroner’s Office, Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, He warned that heat waves similar to those experienced by the Canadian province nearly a year ago were imminent and that authorities needed to be prepared to prevent deaths.

Bytevan said public warnings about extreme heat should have clear protocols so that the response of emergency services is not delayed, as happened in 2021.

EHR