Floods and Forest Fires From Space

With inundated areas typically visible from space, Earth Observation (EO) is increasingly being used for flood response and mitigation. In October 2000, ESA and the French space agency (CNES) initiated the International Charter on 'Space and Major Disasters', a joint initiative for providing emergency response satellite data free of charge to those affected by disasters anywhere in the world. On 24 July, the UK Environment Agency requested the aid of the Charter.

A heat wave that has hit Romania in the past week has killed at least 18 people and caused hundreds to collapse in the street, authorities said. Temperatures are expected to hover above 100 in the south and east for the next two days, and reach 108 in some areas.

In Greece and Italy, officials have blamed some fires on arson motivated by attempts to clear land for development. But soaring temperatures from the region's second heat wave in as many months have also contributed to the fires by leaving vast swathes of the region parched.