Tuesday, June 25, 2019

German Evacuation Story

In the last hour, the German news reported that emergency services in Dusseldorf have reacted to a call, and sent various teams to the local airport train station.

What they are saying is that a evacuation is underway with a train that pulled into the station....total failure of the air conditioners onboard the train. 

Heat has been a massive issue today (even in my local area, we were up to 35 C (95 degrees F). 

What the news team is reporting is that German folks were having to be lifted and carried out of the train cars.  Severe heat dehydration is being reported. 

A couple of years ago, down in the south of Germany....they had a similar situation where one or two cars had total failure of AC units in the midst of July heat, and before they'd reached the next station....teenage kids onboard were collapsing from heat exhaustion.  That involved emergency services as well.

Unlike the old railway cars of the 1970s/1980s.....none of the new cars have windows that open (they are absolutely enclosed).  I've been on a couple of Bahn cars in the past three years where the interior temperature was already rising to around 40 C (104 F), and I simply made the decision to exit at the next station. 

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