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From: Jesse Ferrell (WeatherMatrix) (ferrell{at}weathermatrix.net)
Date: Sat Dec 18 2004 - 21:35:04 EST
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1448262004
"FREAK hurricane force winds wreaked havoc on northern France leaving at
least seven people dead and several seriously injured.
Tens of thousands of homes in Paris and the north of the country were
without power yesterday. Cars were smashed and buildings damaged as the
storm ripped across the country without warning on Friday causing millions
of euros of damage.
The storm struck the French capital without warning and although it lasted
only a few minutes it caused severe damage across much of northern France
almost five years after the major storm of Boxing Day 1999 in which 92
people died.
Gusts of up to 90mph on the coasts and 80mph in the interior of the country
were registered on Friday by the French national weather service, Meteo
France, which issued a level three orange alert - its second-highest - and
warned people against using their cars. At the height of the storm on
Friday almost 400,000 homes were without power.
In Normandy, a high motorway bridge spanning the Seine river was closed
when gusts of up to 75mph were recorded in the early afternoon. Traffic on
the TGV fast train between Paris and Lille also was interrupted, according
to officials in the Pas-de-Calais.
Paris police were called into action 320 times, headquarters said. The fire
service said it had received thousands of calls for help and had been
called out 764 times between 3pm and 7pm in Paris alone.
In western France, the Normandy Bridge, a suspension bridge near the port
of Le Havre, was closed, RTL radio reported. Officials warned drivers to
take care and pedestrians to watch for flying branches and roof tiles.
Rescue workers in Paris closed the famed Sainte-Chapelle monument, renowned
for its stained glass windows, because a stone angel on its roof risked
being toppled by the gusts. Paris City Hall then ordered the Eiffel Tower
closed as well as Paris parks and outdoor ice skating rinks at Montparnasse
and in front of the City Hall.
Three people were reported missing in the western city of Brest, in
Brittany. Tourists were evacuated from the Chateau de Versailles after
trees began to be uprooted.
The state electricity company EDF said 40,000 homes across northern France
were still without power last night. EDF head Pierre Gadonneix had
reassured customers that electricity would be restored to 90% of homes by
midday on Saturday. Gadonneix stressed that the situation "was not at all
comparable" with that of 1999 in which gusts reached up to 160mph.
Meteo France warned yesterday that the high winds could continue, with
gusts of up to 60mph expected tomorrow."
--
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Jesse Ferrell - Meteorologist / Webmaster / Founder - WeatherMatrix
9000 Weather Enthusiasts Can't Be Wrong! www.weathermatrix.net
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