Israel adds heatwaves to ‘threat map’

As Europe deals with deadly heatwaves, Israel is facing stark climate projections, prompting its Defense Ministry to add the weather extremity to the state’s “threat map” earlier this week.

The ministry will also create an emergency plan that would require defense establishment entities to plan for intensely high temperatures, Haaretz reported.

With thousands of heat-related deaths and wildfires sweeping across Europe, security bodies recently held meetings about Israel’s preparedness for heatwaves.

Officials admitted that they lacked a clear plan to help Israelis and prevent deaths during predicted heatwaves in the region, with some calling the situation “worrisome and dangerous.”

“The deaths in Europe are not something that is going to pass over us when more severe heat waves come,” one official said adding: “We understand that this is as serious as other threats for which Israeli security prepares.”

Representatives of Israel’s National Security Council warned that Israel’s elderly population and poorer people who have lesser access to air conditioning should be focused on so welfare teams can help them, according to Haaretz.

In its latest weather assessment, the Israel Meteorological Service found that the Israeli climate is heating up at double the global rate, and warned that the state could experience heatwaves peaking at 122°Fahrenheit.

At present, heatwaves in Israel usually peak at about 97°F.

The weather service described a “nightmare scenario” of heatwaves that are “severe but tolerable” in Israel between 2030 and 2050. It predicted that the expected heat will significantly impact areas ranging from health, food supply, and agriculture.