By Michael Kahn and Nick Said
HOUSTON, June 13 (Reuters) – Soaring temperatures failed to dampen the spirits of World Cup supporters who used portable fans, umbrellas and lots of cold liquids to beat the blazing Texas heat on Saturday as they packed the Houston fan festival to soak up the atmosphere.
With the thermometer nearing 100 degrees Fahrenheit ahead of the opening match in Houston on Sunday, when Germany face Curacao, event organisers say a host of measures, including free sunscreen and air-conditioned spaces, will help fans keep cool.
“We know it’s the summer and there is nothing we can do about the heat but we want to make it as comfortable as possible,” Houston fan festival organiser Patti Smith told Reuters.
An estimated 30,000 people packed the downtown Houston zone for the opening World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa with more than 100 reported heat-related illnesses on the day.
Most were treated on site where officials have also set up hydration stations where fans can fill up their water bottles or walk under open-air structures fitted with fountains spraying mist to cool down visitors.
Jessica Garza, who works as an assistant principal, said she wore light clothes and put her hair up to stay cool while making sure to keep a water bottle and fan within reach.
“It’s worth it, it’s the World Cup. They only come here once in a lifetime so I am going to be hot for today, I am going to enjoy it,” Garza said.
Scorching temperatures are an issue at other venues in the tournament held across the U.S., Canada and Mexico but the combination of extreme heat and high humidity make stepping outside in Houston feel like a blast from a furnace.
Officials are also ready for an influx of fans from cooler-weather countries like Germany and Sweden, who are not used to such heat, when their teams play their matches in Houston.
Many visitors lining up for the fan festival on Saturday came prepared with umbrellas to provide shelter from the sun while others clutched personal fans or draped t-shirts over their heads. Others opted for more simple solutions.
“I’m trying to stay in the cooler areas, the shadier areas,” geophysicist John Banwagoner told Reuters.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn and Nick Said, Editing by Ken Ferris)
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