[MN] Major Heatwave in The Netherlands

[Odinson]

A high pressure system was cooking Western Europe. The epicenter of this rare June heatwave was centered directly over The Netherlands, and all indicators pointed to it being a record-breaking event. From June 10-13, temperatures were already unusually warm for three days in a row, with the daily high reaching 25, 27, 29, and 30 degrees Celsius respectively. Meteorologists would quickly be able to determine that the complicating factor of the heatwave was that the high pressure system was almost stationary over Western Europe, and wouldn't begin to move for several more days. Realistically, record-breaking temperatures could easily be expected for the rest of the month of June. One June 14th, at high noon in Amsterdam, temperatures were recorded at 32 degrees Celsius, and the humidity was at nearly 100-percent, which likely made Dutch citizens feel as if they were walking through pea soup when they stepped outside.

Heatwaves can be very dangerous and even deadly to societies who are not use to them. The people threatened most are the disabled, elderly, and homeless. Even the strongest and most healthy individuals in a community can succumb to dehydration and heatstroke, which can cause permanent damage to a person's nervous system and physiology. Heat waves have also been known to increase the chances of wildfires due to careless human activity, or even spontaneously combusting forest fires. Finally, a society's infrastructure will also be strained. The Netherlands, like most other European countries, does not share the United States's affinity for air conditioning. This means that it would be very unlikely for the Netherlands to experience a critical failure of its power grid, however there would be a noticeable spike in energy use from businesses and the limited number of homes that did have air conditioning. Smaller threats would include an exceptional lowering of freshwater reservoirs and natural bodies such as ponds and lakes.

From June 10 to June 13, elderly Dutch citizens who lived alone would be among the majority of victims who suffered from the heatwave. The next largest demographic of people to die were the disabled and mentally ill who either didn't have the means to cool themselves or didn't have the mind to do so. So far, 97 people have died and a further 342 have suffered or are suffering heat stroke (most are elderly), and hundreds of other people have reported respiratory issues. On June 14, which was a Thursday, the Dutch police were getting an unusually large number of calls from some of the few businesses and hotels in Amsterdam that had air conditioning. The owners were reporting people for "trespassing". The most notable of these occurrences was at the Marriot hotel in Amsterdam near Leidseplein. Almost 100 people were packed into the lobby, a small number of which were homeless, and more people were tickling in. The hotel manager said that people were refusing to leave, and that he was worried the building may be over its maximum occupancy number.

Also, information trickled in from working men, to interest groups, and finally to members of the Dutch Parliament that fishermen were seeing a dramatic drop in yields from the sea. This was due to fish avoiding the hot euphotic zone and resting deeper in the ocean. The electrical grid was not devastated, but there was a 3.2% increase in energy consumption in the entire country. The only place where some power lines sagged from overuse were in and around Amsterdam. Finally, shortly before noon on Thursday, an emergency call was made from a citizen of Hoog Soeren which was a village located inside The Veluwe. Several dozen trees were on fire just north of the town along the road N344. The fire was quickly spreading amongst the dry timber.

Pools, beaches, lakes, and even some of the country's rivers were filling up with people desperate to escape the heat. Tourists not use to heatwaves also found themselves miserable or at risk of heat stroke. If it wasn't already apparent before then, by June 14th it should have been clear to the Dutch government that the country was in the midst of a national emergency.

 

[Dutchy]

With the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute making the heat wave official, the Dutch government would activate the National Heat Plan. The plan ensures that the most vulnerable groups, such as elders, the disabled and young children are protected and taken care of. Furthermore all citizens would be advised to do the following:

- Drink Enough Water
- Wear thin and light clothing that offers some protection against sunburn
- Find the shade
- Protect yourself with sunscreen
- Limit physical exertion in the afternoon
- Keep the house cool by using awning, fans or air conditioning
- Pay extra attention to people in your area who need care
- Do not light fires in wooded area's
- If driving keep the airco on and ensure you have had enough to drink

The Orange Cross, and its volunteers, would be tasked by the government to hand out water bottles in city centres to the visitors, shoppers and tourists . Over the course of the week 50 million water bottles would be made available to be handed out. The organisation would also set up multiple first aid stations in the busy cities in conjunction with the provinces (regions) ambulance service.

Rijkswaterstaat, an agency part of the Ministry of Infrastructure & Water, monitors the waterways in the Netherlands to ensure that each maintains the necessary minimum. Locks would therefore be closed at certain times of the day to ensure that the water is directed to where it is most needed. The agency would also be doing extra checks on the dikes as the heat would be putting them at more risk of damage, emergency repairs would be carried out by specialised teams. Beaches, lakes and rivers would constantly be checked for hazards such as cyanobacteria as they pose a risk to the swimmers health. Waterways found with such hazards would be off-limits to swimmers and would be monitored by police to ensure no-one would enter the waters.

Police would be dispatched to the various businesses in Amsterdam, police would explain calmly to the people trying to escape the heat of their breach of the law. They would direct the people to multiple location in the city where the Council of Amsterdam had set up archways which lightly sprayed water on those walking underneath, creating a sensation of light rain. If any refused after multiple warnings they would be fined, if they continued to remain inside the premises of the businesses they would eventually be arrested. However since most were simply looking to escape the heat the number of arrests would be low.

The fire brigade would be called out to the fires reported near the N344. The police would also be dispatched to set up a perimeter and close the road to traffic if the fire spread towards the road. People living in he town of Hoog Soeren would be advised to keep windows and doors closed and avoid going outside. The fire brigade would manage to put out the fires with the assistance of neighboring detachments.

With the recent completion of the Gemini off-shore windfarms the electriral grid would be supplied the extra energy it required. Parliament would also begin looking at the situation of the Dutch fishers. The government is yet to declare a national emergency.

 

[Apingdaldal]

Having experienced a similar situation such as the El Niño phenomenon, the Federal Republic of the Philippines would affirm it's friendship and solidarity with Netherlands by offering assistance to Netherlands in tackling the calamity they are currently facing with.
Furthermore, the Department of Health would also advise it's Dutch counterpart to advise its citizen not to forget their salt intake along with regular water intake to prolong body re-hydration.

 

[Dutchy]

Kingdom of the Netherlands
Official Statement

The Dutch government would like to thank the Philipines for their offer of assistance and their advice. At this time we believe the situation is under control, we are continously monitoring the situation and will call upon your assistance if required. Once again we thank your for you solidarity.
​

Marita Flipse, Minister of Public Health, Welfare & Sports​

 

[IrgunRevisionist]

Though we have little in the way of resources to send Zimbabwe Rhodesia is willing to fly in a shipment of Castle Lager, Tobacco, Mangoes, and Antelope biltong along with six containers packed with water.

 

[Dutchy]

Kingdom of the Netherlands
Official Statement

The Dutch government would like to thank Zimbabwe Rhodesia for their offer for support, however would like to see those supplies go to the good people of Zimbabwe Rhodesia.
​

Norm Assenberg, Secretary of State for African Affairs ​

 

[IrgunRevisionist]

As you wish. The people of Zimbabwe Rhodesia currently enjoy a fairly pleasant lifestyle including in their shops and such.

 

[Odinson]

RESPONSE

The Dutch government's National Heat Plant did much to inform its average citizens and probably saved countless lives that would have been lost to simple mistakes. Also, actions taken by the Orange Cross further helped hydrate the public. The distribution of 50-million water bottles and first aid stations around the country - working alongside local governments - gave many citizens a place to seek help and information. The Orange Cross found that around the Netherlands, citizens actively went to the first aid stations for advice, water, and treatment for heat-related illnesses. The government certainly had the Orange Cross to thank for taking some of the stress off of the Netherland's healthcare system, though the coming days would prove overwhelming.

The police dispatched to the Marriot hotel initially found resentment and frustration from the large crowd that didn't want to leave the air conditioned building. However the police's intelligent decision to offer the crowd the alternative to going to the archways in different parts of the city - which also meant they would be dispersed - helped defuse the situation. Only a few citizens needed to be issued citations before they apologized and left. The only arrest that needed to be made was of an intoxicated Eastern European tourist who refused to leave, partially because he was too drunk to walk out of the building. The Dutch police would find a similar amount of success in getting citizens and tourists to stop trespassing in similar situations around the city.

An area where the government did not face immediate success, however, was the developing forest fire in the Veluwe. The fire brigades, most of which had to travel several miles before making it to the site, were not able to extinguish the forest fire until two and a half acres of forest burned down. Two firefighters were seriously injured.

On 14 June, 85 more people died, most of which were elderly.


NEW INFORMATION

On June 15, 16, and 17 temperatures continued to rise. The daily highs were 33, 34, and 35.5 Celsius respectively. The Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute would have been able to determine that the high pressure system which was broiling their country in the near 100% humidity was finally beginning to move away from Europe on June 15, but the effects wouldn't be immediate. Temperatures would continue to rise, or remain constant, for the next four or five days. By June 19, the daily high in Amsterdam reached 38 Celsius for two hours. This was the hottest day in Amsterdam since accurate temperature records had been kept starting in the 1700s. Meteorologists and climatologists would determine that it may have been the hottest day in 1000 years.

From June 15 to June 18, 467 elderly/disabled people died and a further 500 people were suffering from heat stroke, 25% of which would probably die. The first aid stations set up by the Orange Cross did an exceptional job at relieving the Dutch healthcare system from being paralyzed by staggering numbers of hot, dehydrated, or overheated individuals. Analysts would later determined that setting up these first aid stations and distributing massive amounts of water (considering the number of people they prevented from clogging healthcare centers) probably saved 2,000 lives.


JUNE 17

On June 17, however, the Dutch healthcare system was beginning to feel overwhelmed. Hospitals in major cities around the country, but especially in Amsterdam, were forced to declare the Dutch equivalent of what some American hospitals would label a "Code Black" situation. This meant that the number of people in need of serious medical care at these facilities significantly outnumbered the available medical staff on duty and their ability to treat them all. Because the healthcare centers (or government) had not ordered off-duty staff to be on-duty in advance, some hospitals and clinics would have to make the unfortunate decision of focusing their efforts on the patients they determined that had the highest likelihood of being able to be saved. This meant that there were cases of elderly people with severe heatstroke dying in hospitals, mere meters from over-worked doctors and nurses who were focusing on children or other emergency operations. The silver lining to this problem is that if the healthcare centers received additional assistance from off-duty staff, emergency responders, or even the military, they would be able to better sift-through serious medical emergencies and people who suffering from serious - but less deadly - issues such as dehydration, severe sun-burn, or chronic migraines/nausea.

While multiple hospitals in Amsterdam were overwhelmed, the worst was the OLVG West which had 555 hospital beds. All beds were occupied and the staff began doubling patients in rooms, and even resorted to keeping some in lesser-used hallways. Lines of people were outside. There was a noticeable amount of young people who were accompanying their grandparents or older people whom they had the foresight to check up on and found they were ill. The people outside who needed some form of medical treatment numbered about 250, while there were a further 200 people who were simply accompanying them. This numbered to 450 people who were outside of the hospital, and were now overflowing into the street. While other hospitals were overwhelmed, what made OLVG West the worst of them all was that a radio show mistakenly broadcast that OLVG West was the best center for the elderly and had an ample amount of free rooms. This was not the case.

The hospitals needed reinforcements, especially if they were to deal with the higher temperatures on June 18, and the record-breaking daily high on June 19 that would reach to 38 degrees Celsius.

Thanks to a joke on an evening Dutch television program where a man comically decided to live in his car during heat waves because it had air conditioning, many Dutch citizens actually had the idea to do this, or some version of it. Gasoline consumption increased in the entire country by 6.5%. Petrol stations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague would either be forced to temporarily raise their prices to offset the demand, or some of them would begin to run out of gasoline by June 18.

SUMMARY

1. National Heat Plan: SUCCESS - This has so far been integral in preventing many more people from dying.

2. Orange Cross First Aid Centers&Water Bottles: SUCCESS - This and the National Heat Plant were easily two of the wisest precautionary measures taken. This alone saved over 2,000 lives.

3. Veluwe Forest Fire: SUCCESS - 2.5 acres of forest burned down, 2 firemen were seriously injured by falling branches. No structures or lives were lost.

4. Trespassing at Marriot Hotel: SUCCESS - Crowd was dispersed, 3 citizens issued citations, 1 intoxicated Eastern European tourist arrested.

5. Overwhelmed Hospitals and Overworked Staff: ONGOING - Hospitals in need of more staff, crowd control, and redistribution of patients.

6. OLVG West Hospital Especially Bad: ONGOING - Staff desperately needed, patients dying in hallways, patients need to be redistributed, on the brink of disaster.

7. Increased Gasoline Demand by 6.5%: ONGOING

8. Weather Forecast: Temperatures will get worse through June 19. After that, things will begin to cool down and there may be some rain, but daily highs will be over 25 Celsisus until close to the end of June.

9. Death Count as of June 16: 653 - all are Dutch citizens and most of them are elderly or disabled.

10. Deaths Prevented by Dutch Government as of June 17: 4,227

 

[Dutchy]

In order to prevent further elderly deaths the Dutch government would temporarily hire individuals from employment agencies with a medical background to handle visits of elderly people living at home alone. These people would be assigned a sector within a region and visit each of the known elderly in their sector. They would then check their health, ensuring that they had enough water, food and medicines to last the duration of the heatwave. If they were lacking anything the hired personnel would be able to acquire these from a local supermarket using funds from an available Ministry of Health budget.

With hospitals now under extreme pressure they would recall personnel off-duty staff. The orange cross would also send more volunteers to assist in these hospitals with assisting those with minor injuries or dehydration. Military medical officers from the '400 Geneeskundige Bataljon' would also be deployed to the hospitals to support those with more severe injuries, though leaving the worst cases for doctors and trauma teams. Buses would also be made available to transport people to hospitals throughout the country which still had capacity. Police would be deployed to keep the hospitals safe due to so many people being in one place.

The NOS would also ensure that articles were available to correct the mistakes of radio talk shows. Advice would also be given about the best course of actions if you feel that you are suffering from dehydration, heat stroke and other illnesses related to the heat.

In major cities general local regulation does not permit for individuals to sleep in their cars. Council enforcers (handhavers) would work in conjunction with the police to fine those sleeping in their cars. For the increase in gasoline demand the government would release the necessary required gasoline from the reserves. Once the weather went below 27 Celsius the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute would officially call the heatwave as over.

 

[Odinson]

RESPONSE

The government hiring medical professionals to check on the elderly did have some effect, but there was almost no way to account for all of the old people throughout the country in a 72-hour period. However, this policy did do much to show Dutch citizens that the government was trying to help Dutch of all ages and backgrounds during the heatwave. Where this policy was most effective was in major cities where little driving was needed to check on a large number of elderly people. The medical contractors would report to the government that of the elderly they were able to visit, about half had their children, spouse, or relatives taking good care of them, a quarter lived alone but were coping with the heatwave, and a quarter were either in an unhealthy situation (i.e. too hot, dehydrated, exhausted) or were suffering from heat stroke. Alarmingly, almost every one of these workers came across at least one elderly person that had died alone. This policy ended up saving the lives of many city-dwellers and also some people in smaller communities.

Overworked doctors and nurses were incredibly happy to see their other colleagues come in to assist with the overflow of patients. Hospital staff were also happy that the Orange Cross offered their services. Since they tended to minor and menial tasks/injuries. it freed up valuable time for actual nurses and doctors to care for more serious cases. Some of the most inspiring moments in the hospitals came from scenes where Orange Cross volunteers, medical officer soldiers, and doctors working together to help the sick. Dutch newspapers and other news services had three main stories at the moment: the heatwave, overflowing hospitals, and that the government was handling the hospitals by moving around patients and deploying medical officers from the army along with Orange Cross volunteers. The police presence at hospitals made the entire situation more organized, and prevented people in need of healthcare from spilling out into the streets as they crowded around clinics and hospitals. The saving grace for OLVG West Hospital was the deployment of buses to send people seeking service to other hospitals. The introduction of the Orange Cross and medical officers to the hospital also helped, along with off-duty staff who came in to either assist or relieve on-duty staff.

After the NOS ensured corrections were made in the media, the massive rush of patients to the OLVG West Hospital stopped, and people in need of medical services started going to other hospitals and clinics in the area.

Local handhavers quickly found themselves to be incredibly unpopular in some parts of the city. In conjunction with local police, they were able to issue 612 citations in Amsterdam alone for people sleeping in their cars (in order to sleep with AC). The government's declaration to release some of its national reserves to gas stations calmed the public and mostly helped the shortage problem. In a show of compassion for their fellow man - or perhaps because it was probably against the law to increase prices to take advantage of an emergency - gas stations around the country kept their prices consistent to what they had been toward the beginning of the month.


NEW INFORMATION

The number of people that died on June 17 from the heatwave were 88.


MONDAY JUNE 18

The Dutch economy began to feel effects of the heatwave on Monday. Some businesses chose not to open their doors because the owners were miserable, or because the owners assumed there would be little foot-traffic. Other businesses like ice-cream parlors, pubs, and restaurants did fantastic, however. The medical contractors hired by the government were able to visit many more elderly people, and continued to spread information and help those in need. While no one could see the results yet, it did prevent many people from either getting incredibly sick or dying.

Hospitals continued to be overpopulated, but the reinforcements dramatically helped the situation. Some news media and tabloids began repeating that "The worse has yet to come!" noting that temperatures on Tuesday (the next day) would be the highest ever on record. This had multiple effects, one of which was many people called their parents or grandparents to check up on their wellbeing. The information that the government was giving via the National Heat Plant, and the corrections from the NOS were also helping to inform many people. While many people were in a state of dread, things felt less chaotic. Things were hot and bad, but it felt like everyone was doing their job and pulling together to get through the crisis. 92 people died on Monday.


TUESDAY JUNE 19

By high noon on Tuesday, Dutch scientists would have detected a temperature of 38.1 degrees Celsius in Amsterdam with 50% humidity. The heat index - which is what it actually feels like outside with the humidity taken into consideration - was 51 degrees Celsius. These terrible conditions were comparable to south east Texas and southern Louisiana during their hottest parts of the year. The mix of humidity and heat also meant respiratory problems for anyone doing outdoor labor. Most non-government construction companies gave their workers all day off on Tuesday, in fact this was the case for white-colar workers at many non-financial companies. Major Dutch cities slowly grinded to a halt as residents cooled off together. The near-traumatic experience gave many people a reason to bond with others they had never met, but it was a serious problem for others.

Infrastructure problems on this day started with Amsterdam Airport Schipol, the largest airport in the country. Two 737s that were preparing to depart for international flight were unable to because the fully-loaded aircraft had sunk four inches into the heated asphalt below them. It would have been determined after a couple of hours that the flights would need to be cancelled. Similar problems affected 27 flights around the country. Two kinks were observed in the Betuweroute (the main cargo railway line in the Netherlands) near Rotterdam. The kinks were a direct result from the heat. A long, heavy train could easily be derailed by a kink in the tracks - as could speedy passenger trains making a turn. Also, June 19 was unusually calm - the wind was very light if any on shore.

Tuesday night saw most Dutch citizens struggling to fall asleep. On Tuesday, of all the laws that were broken in the Netherlands, political scientists would later determine that citizens sleeping in their vehicles was the largest act of criminality outside of traffic violations in the entire country. Handhavers and local police issued a whopping 2000+ citations around the entire country. On Tuesday, 117 people died from the heatwave - much less than would have died with inaction from the government.

 

[Dutchy]

Maintenance crews on standby at Amsterdam Airport Schipol would immediately we deployed, they would have the task of fixing the issue with the stuck planes. Buses would be sent along with stairs to allow the passengers to disembark if the issue could not be solved within the next half an hour. They would then be taken back to the terminal and be taken care of by airport staff until a new aircraft could be found for them to continue their journey.

Betuweroute would be temporarily closed while Maintenance crews from Prorail were sent to fix the problem.

The government would later announce that fines handed to people sleeping in running vehicles would not be cashed, and would be downgraded to a simple verbal warning.

 

[Odinson]

The worst of the heatwave was now over with. Scientists and the public at large were overwhelming supportive of the actions taken by the government during the heatwave. It wouldn't be until weeks later that the official death count could be published, but the majority of those who perished were elderly or disabled. The only critiques of the government were that the Dutch health service needed to be more prepared for national disasters and patient overloads or "Code Black" scenarios. Polders throughout the country maintained their strength and only suffered from very minor changes/damage, most of which required no action. The Dutch people who were given citations for sleeping in their vehicles were very happy that they wouldn't have to pay their tickets. Overall, the Dutch government did an exceptionally well job at handling the heatwave which was a once in a thousand year event.

This event is concluded.