Japan Municipalities Setting Up "Cooling Shelters"

   Tokyo, May 1 (Jiji Press)--Municipalities around Japan are rushing to secure "cooling shelters" people can use to cool down when there is high risk of heatstroke.
   Operators of designated facilities, such as community centers and supermarkets, will be asked to open them for use by people to escape the heat when a special alert for heatstroke is issued under a new warning system introduced recently.
   The city of Kumagaya, which recorded a temperature of 41.1 degrees Celsius in August 2018, the highest in the country since the start of observation, sets up in summer temporary rest areas called "machinaka oasis" at facilities such as the city office and community centers. At the areas, people feeling unwell will be given emergency kits containing coolants and drinking water.
   The initiative began in 2011 as a way to protect citizens from the heat, and some 1,500 people use the areas a year on average. "It is now widely known among citizens," a city official said.
   This year, the city in Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, plans to operate 13 facilities that have been used as machinaka oasis as "cooling shelters" from June. It also plans to designate more than 10 private-sector facilities in the city, such as eat-in spaces at supermarkets, as shelters.

(2024/05/01-10:30)

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