Floods, fires, storms and record-breaking heat across Europe and the UK this summer have left hundreds of people dead, forced thousands more from their homes, and caused property damage that will cost billions of dollars to replace or repair.

_{Photos by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images}

Flooding in the UK and elsewhere has left thousands of people without fresh water and electricity, raising public health fears about the contamination of food and drinking water. People without electricity are unable to store perishable food safely, raising the risk of food poisoning, intestinal illnesses and other potentially deadly health issues. Severe flooding overwhelms drainage and sewer systems, washing raw sewage and other contaminants into public water supplies.

Heat Stroke Kills Hundreds of Europeans
Heat stroke has become a major health hazard across southern Europe and throughout the Mediterranean as temperatures have soared from the usual high of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) to 110 degrees or more (44 Celsius). In Hungary, about 500 people, mostly elderly, have died from the heat. Romania reported people collapsing in the street and said that at least 27 people were believed to have died from heat stroke.

On the economic front, agriculture has been particularly hard hit, with crops either scorched by fire and heat or swamped by torrential rains and flooding. European tourism has suffered as well, because fires and floods have forced many tourists to flee their hotels or cancel their travel plans.

Extreme Weather Sounds a Wake-up Call about Global Warming
The deadly combination of floods, fires, storms and heat was caused by an unusual southerly shift in the jet stream, which brought excessive heat to southern Europe and hit northern countries with storms that in more typical years would have passed them by. Even so, climate scientists are pointing to the current crisis as a wake-up call, which demonstrates very clearly the kind of extreme weather and social disruption that global warming is expected to bring.

More information:

• All About Global Warming
• Serious Effects of Global Warming Already Have Begun, says IPCC
• Controlling Global Warming is Cost-Effective and Within Reach
• How to Avoid and Treat Heat Exhasution and Heat Stroke -- Senior Living, About.com
• Europe in fire and water onslaught –- Financial Times
• Can Britain beat the storms ahead? –- Telegraph.co.uk
• UK floods spark health fears –- Agence France-Presse
• Flood homes: Prices could fall 80% -- The Sunday Times