Netherlands municipalities develop heat plans for vulnerable residents

The Dutch Red Cross and the Climate Alliance report that the number of municipalities with a heat‑action plan or in the process of creating one rose from 90 to 128 over the past year. Out of the 342 municipalities in the Netherlands, 214 still lack a local heat plan. The organisations stress that every municipality should have a plan to protect vulnerable groups—elderly people, young children, pregnant women, those with physical or mental illnesses, and the homeless—against increasingly hot summers.

Red Cross director Harm Goossens said, "De zomers in Nederland worden steeds heter en het is belangrijk dat mensen, vooral degenen met een kwetsbare gezondheid of mensen die buiten werken, goed zijn beschermd tijdens periodes van hitte." He added that municipalities can adopt permanent measures such as creating cool shelters and installing fixed water points to help all residents stay cool.