Oh Paris

Paris has come away with relatively minor damage after a storm that battered large parts of Western France and killed over 50 people in several European countries, Paris City Hall said in a statement released today.

Paris City Hall said that despite violent winds sweeping through the city on Sunday (news agencies had reported that a top windspeed of 100 miles per hour had been recorded at the top of the Eiffel Tower), damage in Paris was much less extensive than it had been during a similar storm in 1999. A total of 40 trees across the city were damaged by the storm, and only 10 fell, according to the statement. In December 1999, a storm had shattered countless storefront and residential windows, led to falling storefront signs and the collapse or damage of large sections of trees in the city’s adjoining parks of Boulogne and Vincennes.

The storm which hit Europe over the weekend, dubbed Xynthia, severely damaged swathes of the Western coast of France and led to flooding in several areas. The storm hit the French region known as La Vendée the most severely, where 25 people died after violent winds, waves of up to 30 feet, flooding and falling trees hit the region. The storm also affected Spain, Portugal, Germany and Belgium, where several more people were killed. Altogether, at least 57 deaths have been reported, with around 30 missing and half a million homes suffering from power outages.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced Monday that the government would funnel 3 million Euros into emergency relief aid and said that electricity would be restored by Tuesday in regions suffering from power outages. The French government is expected to seek part of its emergency relief funds from the European Union.

Travel Update:

• Airport Traffic: As of Monday, March 1st, air traffic for inbound and outbound flights has returned to normal at Charles de Gaulle-Roissy and Orly airports in Paris. Around 25% of flights had been cancelled or delayed over the weekend.
• Rail Traffic: Traffic is progressively returning to normal on French railways, including TGV (high-speed trains) and regional trains, with some delays expected as workers remove tree debris from the tracks and address other damage. The connection between Nantes and Bordeaux will be re-established on Wednesday, French railway company SNCF said.
• Eurostar and Thalys: Traffic is normal.

Damage in Paris Minimal After Deadly European Storm originally appeared on About.com Paris Travel on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 08:23:22.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Be Sociable, Share!

•