The Catastrophes Continue

Facing renovation, my neighborhood café closed
on New Year's Eve.

With French Online Life

Paris:- Monday, 3. January 2000:- Last week, due to France's double catastrophes, this column was updated daily from Tuesday to Friday.

As of this morning, the wind storms have accounted for 88 deaths in France. The bodies of two killed by a fallen chimney were only discovered yesterday, in Orléans.

The state-owed electricity concern, EDF, said that 440,000 households remain without power this morning. These are not liable to receive power soon as they are more remote, or the electric lines require more than a quick fix.

EDF has spoken of having entire power distribution networks wiped out. Along with the households without power, France Télécom has said that 400,000 of its subscribers are still cut off.

According to reports, 300 million trees were felled; with 100 million of these being on state lands. TV-news has shown line repair crews tackling fallen lines first with chainsaws, to cut away the fallen trees that have knocked down the cables and the pylons that hold them up.

The fallen trees pose other problems. One is that there are so many of them, that there is nowhere near enough manpower to transform them into wood products before they rot on the ground.

Many of the downed trees will be turned into lumber, and this will depress their market value. But this is a relatively minor concern - a chance of economics. Few houses in France are built primarily of wood.

Meanwhile, all the damaged houses have to be repaired. While this work is a boon to building tradesmen, there are not nearly enough to meet the demand.

Insurance adjusters are out in force but they are outnumbered too. State aid is now quoted without specific numbers.

Some people are annoyed with politicians who are making flying visits, from warm offices in Paris and elsewhere. Daily they see EDF helicopters, risking their necks flying in low fog.

Schools were among buildings damaged, with about a 1000 in France affected. This will prolong the Christmas holidays for many students, which will pose problems for many of their working parents.

The underwater explorer, brought in to survey the hulk of the Erika for possible leakage, has gotten trapped by the wreck and its operators have been unable to regain control of it.

The tanks of the ship are believed to still contain 20,000 tons of heavy fuel. The cargo's owners, TotalFina, will be forced by France to recover the oil and the cost of doing this has been estimated at hundreds of millions of francs.

Three of the ship's tanks have released their contents while eight others remain full. Oil picked up from the beaches is being trucked to an Elf refinery where it is being stored. On Friday, 7000 tons had arrived.

Nobody seems to know what to do with this, as normal refining methods will not separate the oil for the sand in it.

Meanwhile armies of volunteers toil on the beaches to pick up the black gumbo as quickly as possible. Another small army is trying to rescue sea birds that have been covered in the oil.

On RER line 'B,' Saturday, 1. January - on New Years Day.

After Picasso, Now Leonardo

Last year, the French car manufacturer Renault, took one of its nondescript family sedans and ballooned it up to be a mini-van-sedan. For people needing headroom and kid-room, it's great - even if it is sort of ugly. Renault can't help this.

Then, Peugeot decided this idea is a good thing, ad ballooned up one of its same-size sedans to match Renault's, and to poke a stick in Renault's eye, called it 'Picasso' even if it is almost as ugly as Renault's version.