sassa Posted August 14 Report Share Posted August 14 France says thousands dead from heat Record temperatures begin to ease ASSOCIATED PRESS PARIS, Aug. 14 — France’s worst heat wave on record has killed an estimated 3,000 people across the nation, the Health Ministry said Thursday, as the government faced accusations that it failed to respond to a major health crisis. DEATHS ACCELERATED IN the past week, with up to 180 people dying in one day in Paris — all “linked directly or indirectly†to the abnormally high temperatures that have smothered France and other parts of Europe, the ministry said. The August heat also has devastated livestock and fanned wildfires that have blackened tens of thousands of acres of territory. It was the government’s first official death toll estimate. After days of complaints about the slow government response, the government on Wednesday launched crisis management measures usually reserved for epidemics, terror attacks and catastrophes. “We can qualify what is happening to us as a true epidemic,†Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei told France-Inter radio interview on Thursday. He said the heat wave had caused a very large number of deaths, especially among the elderly. In a statement, the ministry said its estimate was partly drawn from studying deaths in 23 Paris regional hospitals from July 25-Aug. 12 and from information provided by General Funeral Services. According to 2002 figures, the Paris regional hospitals that were surveyed could have expected some 39 deaths a day, the ministry said. But Tuesday, they recorded nearly 180, it said. “We note a clear increase in cases beginning Aug. 7-8, which we can regard as the start of the epidemic of deaths linked to the heat,†the statement said. Morgues and funeral directors have reported skyrocketing demand for their services since the heat wave took hold. General Funeral Services, France’s largest undertaker, said it handled some 3,230 deaths from Aug. 6-12, compared to 2,300 on an average week in the year, a 37 percent jump. Many people died while locked inside apartments, raising concerns about hygiene and odor. One police officers union in Paris called on the government to deploy the army to help retrieve bodies. With many families gone on vacation, “there are a lot of elderly people alone in big cities in August,†said health ministry spokeswoman Laurence Danand. Danand said an exact figure would be released next week on the number of heat-related deaths, based on a survey of all private and public medical institutions, including retirement homes. Under the crisis measures enacted Wednesday, hospitals in Paris mobilized a large number of beds to treat victims and called back health care workers from their vacations. Heat wave fuels global warming debateCRITICS SAY TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE Critics said it amounted to too little, too late. One hospital official faulted the government for failing to act on warning signals from doctors in late July and early August. Click for scenes from a scorching summer. “We said, ’Watch out, something’s happening. There are a lot of people arriving’ — but no one listened,†said Patrick Pelloux, head of France’s emergency physicians’ association, on Europe-1 radio. When it’s all counted, “we’re going to have between 3,000 and 5,000†dead, Pelloux said. “It’s a nationwide catastrophe the likes of which we’ve never seen.†Mattei, the health minister, acknowledged “difficulties†but said the government “carried out the responses that were needed†as soon as the first cases of heat-related death appeared. “We didn’t just remain inactive,†he said. Paris City Hall said Wednesday it would ensure that city-run funeral homes would remain open to bury bodies on Friday, a holiday in France, and recall more than 30 municipal workers from vacation. To protect the elderly, the city’s 13 retirement homes bought extra fans and atomizers to keep their residents cool in a country where air conditioning is not widespread. Record-high temperatures have been set in numerous cities across France, and the capital has baked under heat at or exceeding 98 degrees. In its duration and in temperatures reached, the heat wave was France’s worst ever, surpassing the previous hottest summer — 1947, said Patrick Galois, a forecaster for weather service Meteo France. “It’s historic, unprecedented since we’ve had weather stations,†Galois said. Although searing temperatures were expected to continue in southern France and Europe, the forecasters predicted a significant drop in heat levels in northerly parts on Thursday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tranzwhore Posted August 15 Report Share Posted August 15 french fried? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acmatos Posted August 18 Report Share Posted August 18 Originally posted by tranzwhore french fried? :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassa Posted August 20 Author Report Share Posted August 20 Originally posted by tranzwhore french fried? i would have found that funny if thousands hadn't died from the heat.------------------------------------------------------------------------Heatwave - 10,400 More Die In France Than NormalNews24.com8-20-03PARIS (AFP) -- France's undertakers said on Wednesday there were 10,400 more deaths than usual so far this month, amid claims that thousands of people may have died from the effects of a heatwave that hit Europe. The Pompes Funebres Generales, the main group of undertakers which has 25% of France's funeral market, said the figure was in comparison to the same August period in previous years. French Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei said on Monday that it was "plausible" that the number of deaths linked to the heatwave could be around 5 000, but added that more precise figures would be known in the next few weeks. The deadly heatwave, which roasted France for the first two weeks of August, claimed mostly elderly victims unable to cope with the 40C temperatures. copyright Media24 Ltd. All rights reserved. http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1404823,00.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakbeatz2 Posted August 20 Report Share Posted August 20 its not funny. its very very sad and the French governments reaction, if portraid accurately by the press, is appaling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tranzwhore Posted August 21 Report Share Posted August 21 Originally posted by sassa i would have found that funny if thousands hadn't died from the heat. thousands of americans die from the heat & the cold every year too. i feel for the french but it was just a play on words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassa Posted August 21 Author Report Share Posted August 21 Originally posted by tranzwhore thousands of americans die from the heat & the cold every year too. i feel for the french but it was just a play on words! really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acmatos Posted August 22 Report Share Posted August 22 you guys need a sense of humor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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