City of Athens braces for fresh heatwave
The Athens municipal authority will be opening up air-conditioned spaces, providing medical advice and support, and increasing fire patrols in the capital’s big parks and woods as a new heatwave grips the country, pushing temperatures on Tuesday to the 40-Celsius mark.
The community centers that will be open all day to provide air-conditioned shelter to vulnerable residents and visitors are in Agios Pavlos (22 Mamouri & Dymis), Neos Kosmos (15 Heldreich), Votanikos (4 Kozanis), Kolokynthous (9 Aimonos & Astrous), Agios Eleftherios (372 Acharnon) and Kypseli (Skyrou & Kafkasou), Ampelokipi (Panormou & Vatheos).
Citizens may additionally contact the 24-hour Citizen Service Line on tel 1595 or the “Heatwave Line” of the Municipal Clinics service (tel 210.363.8049), daily from 8.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., to receive advice and guidance on how to deal with heat-related health problems.
Social workers, nurses and psychologists working with the city’s homeless will also be out in the streets distributing water, meals, coffee and protection kits.
Foot patrols and drones will be keeping an eye out for any possible fires on Lycabettus Hill and more than 150 water receptacles have been out out for stray cats and dogs, the municipal authority said, adding that residents and businesses are urged to take out the trash before 11 a.m. or after 5 p.m. in the evening as collections will not take place during the hottest part of the day.
