- Title: Canadians take refuge from intense heat wave in British Columbia
- Date: 13th August 2021
- Summary: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (AUGUST 12, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF YOUNG PEOPLE SUNBATHING IN THE PARK (5 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF AN APPARENTLY HOMELESS MAN LYING IN THE SHADE WITH HIS DOG NEXT TO A WHEELCHAIR (3 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF AN ELDERLY MAN LOOKING OUT TO THE WATER (3 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SWIMMING IN PUBLIC OUTDOOR POOL (5 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF VOLUNTEERS FROM THE UNION GOSPEL MISSION HANDING OUT COLD LEMONADE AND OTHER ITEMS TO NEEDY YOUNG PEOPLE IN AN ALLEY (3 SHOTS) VARIOUS OF JESSICA ANUROFF SITTING WITH HER FRIENDS IN THE ALLEY (2 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNION GOSPEL MISSION MEDIA RELATIONS MANAGER, NADIA TCHOUMI, SAYING: "When you're living in neighborhoods where there isn't a lot of tree cover and you don't have a place to get a break from that heat, but we're talking about surface temperatures that are dangerously hot, the conditions in some parts of Vancouver, again are just unbearable." (SOUNDBITE) (English) JESSICA ANUROFF, TELLING REPORTER WHAT THE HEAT FEELS LIKE WHEN YOU'RE ON THE STREETS: "Holy smokes. Intense, very intense. As soon as you wake up it's .... (like) skin peeling." (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNION GOSPEL MISSION MEDIA RELATIONS MANAGER, NADIA TCHOUMI, SAYING: "It's been a difficult summer. Even though the pandemic is wearing off, people experiencing homelessness are still battling these extreme conditions. We know that when we're talking about extreme weather, it brings in those complications for folks who might also have underlying health conditions, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed. The heat can be deadly. And so for us, it's just really important to meet people where they're at, and we know that they're grateful for anything that we're able to bring them." (SOUNDBITE) (English) JESSICA ANUROFF, TELLING REPORTER WHAT SHE DOES TO FIND COOL AND SHADE WHILE ON THE STREETS: "Being on the street? I don't know. It's mainly a back alley. Yeah, there is a huge tree. The trees, they took them down. A couple of them actually got broken. Actually, if you're smart, you can work the time. The shade goes from one side (of a tree) to the other.†MAPLE RIDGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (AUGUST 12, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SWIMMERS AND SUNBATHERS IN ALOUETTE LAKE AND GOLD CREEK AT GOLDEN EARS PARK, ABOUT A 45-MINUTE DRIVE EAST OF VANCOUVER (5 SHOTS) KIDS JUMPING INTO GOLD CREEK MORE OF SWIMMERS IN THE LAKE AND CREEK (2 SHOTS) VARIOUS WIDE SHOTS OF THE LAKE WITH MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKDROP (2 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 27th August 2021 07:12
- Keywords: Canada Vancouver temperatures beating the heat extreme weather heat heatwave homeless
- Location: VANCOUVER + MAPLE RIDGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
- City: VANCOUVER + MAPLE RIDGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
- Country: Canada
- Topics: Canada,Environment,Weather
- Reuters ID: LVA001EQ451S7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: British Columbia is bracing for its third heatwave this summer, with people seeking relief at beaches, public swimming pools, and mountain streams on Thursday (August 12).
Temperatures are expected to climb to the upper 30 degrees Celsius in the coming days (100 degrees Fahrenheit), CBC reported. Thursday was expected to be the hottest day of the week with high temperatures lasting until Sunday morning, according to CTV news.
The Canadian province hasn't experienced such heat since a deadly 'heat dome' at the beginning of the summer, CBC said, adding that, this time, the province says it is better-prepared. Officials are setting up cooling centres and trying to get the word out to residents, CBC said.
In Vancouver, volunteers with Union Gospel Mission handed out ice-cold lemonade, sun hats, and other helpful small items to young street people taking shelter from the blazing sun in alleyways.
"It's been a difficult summer," the missions' media manager, Nadia Tchoumi, told Reuters. "When we're talking about extreme weather, it brings in those complications for folks who might also have underlying health conditions, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed. The heat can be deadly," she said.
Jessica Anuroff sat with some friends in an alley where Union Gospel Mission volunteers were handing out cold drinks from the back of a car. She told Reuters that as soon as she wakes up, she feels as if her skin is "peeling" under the sun and heat.
Anuroff said she and her friends retreat to the alleys and under trees for shade.
"Actually, if you're smart, you can work the time. The shade goes from one side (of a tree) to the other," she said.
Other residents in Vancouver cooled off in public swimming pools.
Still, other BC residents fled to the mountains and watering holes of Maple Ridge, about an hour's drive east of Vancouver, where Alouette Lake at Golden Ears Park felt like a world away from the searing concrete jungle of the city.
British Columbia is facing a double whammy of heat and poor air quality from ongoing wildfires, CBC said on Thursday.
It said Environment Canada has renewed its heat warnings for much of the South and Central Coast of British Columbia, and also issued air quality advisories for most of the southern third of the province.
(Production: Jennifer Gauthier, Jesse Winter, Mana Rabiee) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
