Brussels authorities are calling for residents to be vigilant ahead of a new spell of extreme heat, with regional ministers Ahmed Laaouej (PS) and Dirk De Smedt (Anders) saying the necessary measures are in place to protect the public, especially the most vulnerable.
The alert phase had already been activated at the end of May. It involves close coordination between the relevant administrations, including Vivalis for health and Iriscare for social protection, as well as frontline organisations such as New Samusocial for emergency aid and Bruss’Help for homelessness services.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ministers said several steps had been taken to protect those most at risk. These include daily monitoring of the situation, constant contact with field organisations, and letters sent to municipalities, public welfare centres, care institutions and other operators to ensure their systems remain fully operational throughout the summer.
The measures follow the final inter-federal recommendations of the Risk Management Group.
Operational coordination of the regional response is being overseen by the senior civil servant through Safe.Brussels, which is responsible for public safety. Measures linked to environmental responsibilities are being deployed under minister Ans Persoons (Vooruit), with support from Brussels Environment.
The ministers said older people, those living alone, people in precarious situations, homeless people, people with chronic illnesses and residents of care institutions remain the most exposed to the effects of extreme heat.
They urged the public to follow basic prevention advice, including drinking water regularly even without feeling thirsty, avoiding physical exertion during the hottest hours, seeking out cooler places, keeping homes cool and checking in regularly on relatives, neighbours or anyone who is isolated.
A meeting of the Interministerial Conference on Public Health is due to take place on Wednesday. It is intended to allow federal, community and regional authorities to review how the situation is developing, maintain close coordination of prevention measures and, if needed, adapt arrangements designed to protect the population.
“Episodes of extreme heat are now a genuine public health issue. Our responsibility is to anticipate, coordinate and protect,” Laaouej and De Smedt said. They called on all partners to maintain their mobilisation in order to guarantee a coordinated, coherent and clear response for the public, with particular attention to the most vulnerable.
According to a provisional assessment by the federal government, the heatwave in June led to excess mortality of 39% in Belgium, equivalent to 1,222 additional deaths.
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