PARIS—French authorities have only begun to realize the extent of the deadly storm that swept across France on Sunday. The late winter storm, Xynthia, swept up France from south to north in the early hours Sunday morning, with hurricane-strength winds and heavy rains that damaged electrical lines and flooding several coastal cities in Vendée and Charentes-Maritimes.
Official figures so far mention 45 dead, 29 were in Vendée alone—a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region on the Atlantic coast of central France.
However, France Info Radio reported that in the small village of la Faute-Sur-Mer, in Vendée, 40 bodies have already been recovered, while another 15 have been located by rescue teams, raising fears that the actual number of victims may be much higher.
Levees that protected the village broke in four separate places at 5:00 a.m., Sunday morning while most people were asleep. Survivors said that water levels quickly reached the roofs of homes and that they only had enough time to scramble onto their rooftops to save their lives. It is not yet known how many locals were trapped inside their homes.
Samuel Bernes, a spokesperson of civil security guards, explained that 4,000 firemen, just back from Haiti, are at work to rescue victims. France will probably not know until later on March 1, just how deadly Xynthia has been.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon already called the storm a “national catastrophe” and President Sarkozy has announced he will go to Vendée on March 1, to show his support for the victims.
More than 500,000 people are without electricity, and in Vendée, around 500 are housed in city halls and other emergency shelters. In Paris, winds delayed all flights in and out of Charles de Gaulle International Airport, and train travel was also affected.
Climate experts explain that the conjunction of high tides and a strong atmospheric depression created conditions for the high-intensity storm with 100 mph winds. Xynthia is the worst storm to hit France since December 1999, when two storms combined to kill 90 people.
Official figures so far mention 45 dead, 29 were in Vendée alone—a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region on the Atlantic coast of central France.
However, France Info Radio reported that in the small village of la Faute-Sur-Mer, in Vendée, 40 bodies have already been recovered, while another 15 have been located by rescue teams, raising fears that the actual number of victims may be much higher.
Levees that protected the village broke in four separate places at 5:00 a.m., Sunday morning while most people were asleep. Survivors said that water levels quickly reached the roofs of homes and that they only had enough time to scramble onto their rooftops to save their lives. It is not yet known how many locals were trapped inside their homes.
Samuel Bernes, a spokesperson of civil security guards, explained that 4,000 firemen, just back from Haiti, are at work to rescue victims. France will probably not know until later on March 1, just how deadly Xynthia has been.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon already called the storm a “national catastrophe” and President Sarkozy has announced he will go to Vendée on March 1, to show his support for the victims.
More than 500,000 people are without electricity, and in Vendée, around 500 are housed in city halls and other emergency shelters. In Paris, winds delayed all flights in and out of Charles de Gaulle International Airport, and train travel was also affected.
Climate experts explain that the conjunction of high tides and a strong atmospheric depression created conditions for the high-intensity storm with 100 mph winds. Xynthia is the worst storm to hit France since December 1999, when two storms combined to kill 90 people.
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