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As France’s Elders Swelter in the Heat, Postal Workers Come to the Rescue
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- In Aix-les-Bains, southeastern France, postal worker Harmony Simon visits elderly residents like Martine Combe to check on their well-being during extreme heat, beyond her usual mail delivery duties.
- Ms. Combe, 68, who has diabetes and asthma, lives in a small apartment without air conditioning, where temperatures have soared to 36°C (97°F), making conditions difficult.
- Ms. Simon offers practical advice to help reduce indoor temperatures, such as using survival blankets on windows, which she reports can lower the temperature by four degrees.
- This initiative is part of a nationwide emergency policy launched in June by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu in response to record-breaking heat waves, encouraging postal workers to monitor vulnerable elderly citizens.
