The weather forecasts point to high temperatures in the city of Rio de Janeiro, mainly, this Monday (17) and the next day. The Rio Alert system indicates that these days may be the hottest days of the week, and may beat the hottest record of the hottest ever recorded in February, which is 41.8 degrees Celsius (° C), in 2023.
“We can pass this mainly on Tuesday,” said the meteorologist of the Rio Alert system, Raquel Franco. “We are in a very dry February, with little rain. The current average [de chuva] Now on February 16th is only 5 millimeters (mm). We will have another week without rain, and forecasts for the end of February do not indicate a very large amount of rain. We can have one of the driest Febaros in history. ”
Given this scenario, the city of Rio announced that, if the city reaches the level 4 in the protocol created by the municipal administration, the population can count on the opening of 58 cooling points. “These are areas that enable shadow, hydration points and bathrooms in knowledge ships and municipal parks, Olympic villages and other municipal equipment,” said the executive chief of the Center for Operations and Resilience (Cor-Rio), Marcus Belchior, adding that The list of locations will be available in the color app.
Mayor of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes during recommendations and announcement measurements against extreme heat. Photo: Marcos de Paula/City Hall of Rio
In addition, the stop for hydration of employees who work exposed to the sun must be respected. The municipal health network should be prepared to increase cases of cases arising from high temperatures. The recommendation is to increase water intake, make use of light clothing and prevent direct exposure to the sun at heat peak times.
“We are in the heat 3 and we have a huge probability and possibility of going to the heat 4 this week. Probably, nothing indicates for the predictions that we will arrive in the heat 5, ”said the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, in a press conference to evaluate weather conditions and announce measures for the population.
Paes said no one from the municipal administration will ask for the cancellation of street block parades, nor prevent the population from participating in activities in the city in this summer and carnival period, with intense heat forecast. Nevertheless, it recommended very much care in the face of the climate forecast scenario.
“Anyone who has jumped, played in a carnival block in the city of Rio de Janeiro during the day, knows what I’m talking about, but we can get the attention of the revelers to drink more water, to hydrate better, take certain care, Seeking to be in an environment where health risks are lower, ”he said, commenting that the turn of the city of Rio does over the city was Death in November 2023 by thermal exhaustion of student Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, during the show of American singer Taylor Swift, at ENGENHÃO stadium, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro.
“We don’t want to control anyone. What we want is for people to be aware of what is going on, the risks, they are concerns that the population itself has to take. Let’s not put a chip on every citizen, ”said Paes.
The mayor pointed out that the summer of Rio has always been very hot and that it is not new to the city to reach 40 ° C this time of year. This situation has been repeated this year, but now with the aggravation that the intensity, the repetition of days with the intense heat and the thermal sensation have been greater than the one in history.
“We seek to bring to you and the population a warning of the week that will arrive. Hopefully the weather confirms the sun but throws temperatures down. I would be the happiest man in the world if we say that the week was whole sunset, we will pass with sun until April, but at temperatures will remain between 25 ° C and 32 ° C in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It’s not the most likely, ”he added.
Another observation made by the mayor is that the advancement of science has now allowed to dispose of more elements that show the impacts on people’s lives and health.
Population faces strong heat wave in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
“In the past, without the information that science, medicine, we gave us today, people died in Rio de Janeiro as a result of the high temperatures, and the diagnosis of that disease that the person faced was not credited to heat. As science has advanced, we have been able to identify the harmful harms brought by excessive temperatures in people’s health, ”he said, saying that the advancement of science allowed to improve the weather data analysis that can certainly predict the more temperatures of more periods. Long.
Quoting his own agenda, Paes said that, to avoid risks to residents of Ramos and Bonsucesso, he canceled his commitment on Sunday at 12:00 pm to talk about them the works of the Wonder Bairro program. “Imagine that mid -day sun, that work on the asphalt,” he said.
The monitoring of heat levels through the Rio began in June last year. The classification has five levels of risk that vary according to the temperature and relative humidity recorded in the city. During the interview, Paes requested the modification of the protocol nomenclature, which was created with NC1 heat level phases to NC5. For him, it is easier to understand the population 1 to heat 5 (C1 to C5).
Dehydration
The municipal secretary of health, Daniel Soranz, said that municipal health units recorded an increase in demand for emergencies to care for dehydration.
“Only in January, we estimate that 3,000 people were served by heat or dehydration problems. It has a great concern with the elderly and children who have less thirst, feel less thirsty and ask for water with more difficulties. We had intentions of two babies for excess clothing problem. It is a lot of moms, especially the first -time, to be aware of the dehydration of children, ”he said, pointing to the secretariat’s concern with the use of hair waxes and homemade sunscreen, which cause skin burns. In the case of waxes, they drain with heat and can cause retinal burns, according to the secretary.
“This has been very common, very frequent in emergency,” he added.
Care should also be redoubled in people with heart, diabetic and hypertensive problems that are more likely to faster decompensation. The secretary also asked for attention with the pets to avoid burns on the paws when taken on sidewalks and very hot streets.
Symptoms
According to the city, extreme heat causes symptoms such as increased breathing rate, worsening allergy and asthma, aggravation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, liver lesions, cramps, muscle spasms, weakness, headaches, dizziness, irritability, Loss of coordination, mental confusion, delirium, anxiety, loss of consciousness, seizures, strokes, arrhythmia, acceleration of beats reduction of blood flow to the heart, heart attack. In addition, disease and renal failure.
The Municipal Secretary of Environment and Climate, Tainá de Paula, said it has been a concern for the city to carry out projects to minimize the impact of these effects of the climate. According to her, the municipality also adapts in the medium and long term with reforestation initiatives that has been giving positive results compared to about 15 soccer fields or 154 hectares.
“The idea that we will be able to curb climate change, the increased temperature of the earth not only depends on Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro will be able to deal with the thermal sensation in the coming decades, but the decrease in this temperature is not unfortunately dependent on Rio. We need to build a climate pedagogy, but also to build an idea that all cities will build With an adaptation, ”he concluded.
