A massive search has been launched after a former Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy went missing while hiking on a remote Greek island, and authorities have expressed concern that tourists may not be prepared for the high temperatures sweeping the country.
Albert Carivet, 59, is the third tourist to go missing in recent days. Rescuers are also searching separately for a missing Dutch tourist, while British TV doctor Michael Mosley was found dead on the island of Symi, days after being reported missing during the scorching heat.
Here are some tips for staying safe in the heat, especially if you’re hiking alone.
How did Albert Carivet and the other tourists go missing?
Authorities said Kalibet went missing on the island of Amorgos on Tuesday. Kalibet was a veteran hiker who set out on a four-hour hike to meet a friend but never made it, his brother Oliver told Fox 11 on Thursday.
The island’s deputy mayor told a Greek news site that Kalibet had walked the same path before and said the heat could have been a factor in her disappearance.
According to Reuters, a 74-year-old Dutch tourist went missing on Sunday after hiking alone on the island of Samos. His wife reported him missing that afternoon.
The same day, the body of British doctor and TV presenter Mosley, 67, was found four days after he went missing while walking alone on the island of Symi. The Associated Press reported that Mosley had walked along a path strewn with stones and had no place to hide in temperatures soaring to 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
“Mr Mosley undertook an incredible climb, took a wrong route and collapsed in a place that was not easily found by the extensive search party,” his wife said in a statement.
How hot does it get in the Greek Islands?
Greek islands are typically a few degrees cooler than the mainland, said Nikolaos Pappas, professor of tourism development and risk management at the University of Sunderland in the UK.
But temperatures can still get very high, and on Tuesday, when Kalibet went missing, temperatures on Amorgos topped 94 degrees Fahrenheit.
The country’s meteorological agency warned on Tuesday that high temperatures would continue across the country until Friday.
Temperatures in many parts of central and southern Greece exceeded 104 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, prompting authorities to close archaeological sites in Athens and issue wildfire warnings, according to the Associated Press.
Last year, Greece and southeastern Europe were hit by the worst heatwave on record.
How can you stay safe in the heat?
While the human body is “generally pretty well equipped to deal with heat,” extreme heat can cause people to sweat more and become dehydrated, George Habenis, a professor of environmental physiology and ergonomics at Loughborough University in the UK, said in a phone interview Friday.
Advice for dealing with the heat includes staying hydrated, wearing light clothing and sunscreen, and avoiding exercise or being outside during peak hours, which in Greece is between 11am and 4pm, according to Havenis. If you don’t have access to air conditioning, consider using a fan or wetting a T-shirt to cool down even more.
“Don’t drink alcohol,” he says, not only because of what it does to your body and how it can make you more susceptible to dehydration, but also because “the decision you’re about to make may not be the best decision.”
It’s also important to remember that it takes time for your body to adjust to a new environment: Being in warm temperatures for just an hour and a half a day for two weeks tends to increase your body’s sweat rate and amount, but inactivity can affect how quickly this happens, says Havenis.
Some groups need to be more careful in extreme heat, such as people taking medications: blood pressure medications, for example, can affect the kidneys and make them more susceptible to the effects of high temperatures.
Older people may be especially susceptible to infection, Habenis said, because they often have pre-existing conditions and take medications that make them more susceptible to infection. “It’s very rare to find someone over 70 who isn’t taking medication, and those medications can affect temperature regulation,” Habenis said.
Children and pregnant women may also need to take extra precautions.
What should I do if I get heat stroke?
If you or someone traveling with you starts to become ill from the heat, the first stage is heat stroke.
“Your heart rate will be very high and you’ll sweat profusely,” says Havenis. “Removing yourself from the sun and moving to a cooler place and lowering your body temperature by spraying or spraying yourself with water or taking a cool bath or shower is usually enough to control this” — although some people with underlying heart conditions, for example, need to be extra careful.
The next, more dangerous stage is heat stroke.
“They may become cognitively sluggish, have trouble walking in a straight line, lose track of who they are, where they are, etc. So if you’re seeing those symptoms, that’s really serious and needs to be addressed right away.”
Before calling an ambulance, he says, cool the person down with water or a shower and loosen their clothing: “The faster you can cool them down, the better their chances of survival.”
What other safety measures should you consider?
Prof Pappas, from the University of Sunderland, said tourists should prepare for the realities of their destination and not make assumptions.
If you are unfamiliar with the local conditions, you will need to ask a local because you live elsewhere. You will need to ask an expert, perhaps a travel agent. [or] If you don’t have a travel agent, ask the receptionist at the hotel where you’re staying if it’s a good idea to do something.”
He warned that hikes and walks that are manageable locally can become much more difficult on a normal Greek summer day, especially during a heatwave.
He noted that in Greece and other Mediterranean destinations, authorities sometimes close attractions during the hottest times of the day to protect tourists, as happened in Athens this week.
It advises hikers to stay on designated trails and travel with others who can sound the alarm if something goes wrong, and warns against doing activities that you wouldn’t do at home, such as hiking in extreme temperatures.
As The Washington Post previously reported, there are other things you can do to stay safe if you’re hiking alone: check the weather forecast frequently and pay attention to weather alerts, carry essential supplies, and let others know your route and when you plan to return home.
