Three Hundred and Thirty-Seven

Five consecutive days of red heat alert. That is a first for Luxembourg. And while the headlines focus on parade uniforms and cancelled school afternoons, the heat does not land equally on everyone.[1]

On Monday, the Ministry of Family Affairs and the Ministry of Health activated emergency measures for people living on the streets. Opening hours at support facilities were extended. The day centre at Findel, normally part of the winter campaign, was brought back into service. The measures apply in Luxembourg City, Ettelbruck, and Esch-sur-Alzette.[2]

Stemm vun der Strooss, the street outreach organisation, extended its opening hours until 9pm. Visitors are given water and salads. They can come in to cool down in the late afternoon, the part of the day when the heat is worst and the shade is hardest to find.[3]

By Wednesday morning, Alexandra Oxacelay, director of Stemm vun der Strooss, had counted the first two days. Three hundred and thirty-seven people had come through the door. She expected more over the weekend. People, she said, were very pleased.[4]

Family Affairs Minister Max Hahn explained that the extended hours were designed so that people could take a shower and find somewhere to cool down. If the red alert extends beyond Friday, he said, the government is ready. The Family and Health ministries, together with municipalities and on-the-ground partners, will remain available for as long as the forecast temperatures hold.[5]

Oxacelay was clear about the limits. There is always more that could be done, especially with extra staff. The ideal, in her view, would have been to cook meals in the evenings or offer showers. A young man on site told RTL that everything was great, with just one thing missing: air conditioning.[6]

What matters, Oxacelay said, is raising awareness and being able to step in immediately if someone is unwell, to prevent hyperthermia. Five days of red alert is uncharted territory. The people most at risk are the ones with the least control over where they sleep, what they drink, and whether they can get out of the sun.[7]

The number 337 is two days of counted heads in three cities. It does not include the people who did not come in. It does not include the people who are still outside, in the part of the day when the shade moves away and the stone walls of the city store heat from the morning and give it back in the afternoon. It is a number that says: the system worked, and it was not enough, and it will need to work again tomorrow.