France Keeps 61 Departments on Red Alert for Extreme Heat

Sixty-one French departments remained on red alert for extreme heat on Friday, Euronews reported. Temperatures stayed exceptionally high across the country despite the alert status. A reduction in red-alert status is scheduled for Saturday, when the alert will lift in 13 departments in central and southwestern France.

Even with that change, conditions will remain difficult for many residents. In Marseille, rough sleepers lack access to air conditioning, running water and showers. Francis Vernède, regional president of the Fondation pour le Logement des Défavorisés, said dozens to hundreds of people endure punishing nighttime temperatures and search for scarce daytime shade.

"They are extremely vulnerable all year round. People tend to think about the homeless more in winter, but in reality their mortality rate is just as high – if not higher – in summer," Vernède said. He called on Housing Minister Vincent Jeanbrun and Social Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou to treat the issue as one of dignity and survival.

Valentin, who sleeps rough in Marseille with his dogs, said he begins seeking shade early each morning. "In the morning we stay in the shade until the cops turn up and tell us to move on because, supposedly, we're a nuisance in public spaces. Then we just walk round and round looking for another spot in the shade, to keep the dogs out of the heat so they don't burn," he said.

Bastien, also sleeping rough, said mornings are particularly difficult and that failure to drink enough water can lead to heatstroke. According to the campaign group Les Morts de la rue, almost 30 percent of deaths among homeless people occur during the summer months.