French Heat-Trap Homes: ‘I Cried, I Thought I’m Going to Die’

As France records its highest temperatures ever, millions of people living in poorly insulated apartments are suffering. Samira, a 35-year-old single mother, lives in a seventh-floor flat on a concrete housing estate south of Paris. “Yesterday I sat down and cried, I thought I’m going to die,” she said. Her home in Ris-Orangis, like many French apartments, lacks outside window shutters and proper insulation. “Blazing sun hits my windows all day – I can’t breathe, I feel dizzy, there is no air,” she added. The problem is widespread. Many of France’s buildings are not designed for hot weather. Low-income housing estates face the worst conditions, highlighting a growing climate inequality. Experts call these structures “heat traps” because they absorb and hold heat, making life unbearable during heatwaves.