Posted on 06/22/2005 6:43:52 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Chinese dive into bomb shelters to escape the heat
Tue Jun 21, 9:26 AM ET
China is opening up old bomb shelters in central Chongqing so people can cool off from the summer heat, Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday.
The municipal government had decided to open 24 cool, underground air-raid shelters, most of which were built in the 1960s and 1970s, this week, a local official was quoted as saying.
"A heat wave with high humidity has hit Chongqing since last week, making life unbearable to residents, many of whom only have electric or palm-leaf fans to cool off," Xinhua said.
China's forecast for Chongqing for Wednesday was a high of 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), while in the capital, Beijing, in the north of the country, the temperature was forecast to hit a maximum 39 C (102 F).
The bomb shelters covered an area of more than 70,000 square metres (17.3 acres) and could accommodate tens of thousands of local people, the official said.
"Safeguards and cleaners are in place to guarantee a sound environment. Free tea, chairs, books and newspapers are provided in the shelters," Xinhua quoted the official as saying.
The municipality of Chongqing had a population of 32,355,000 last year, most of them living outside Chongqing proper over hundreds of miles of farmland.
The population of the urban area of Chongqing was estimated at 3.4 million in 2004, approximately the tenth-largest urban area of China.
Ping!
Global warming= U.S. conspiracy to pollute the world in order to take down the Chinese without firing a shot, PING!
Throw in notorious China humidity, and that is pretty miserable. But....The temps his 120+ in the Southern California desert and AZ today. Temps at the car wash sign said 123 F.
You know it is hot when you hear the crickets chirping in the desert. Dang, it is hot!
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