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French Government Enacts Emergency Plan to Combat Heatwave
Aired August 14, 2003 - 14:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Is it an epidemic? Well that's what the French health minister is calling the deadly heatwave that's gripping the country. Three thousand people are dead, possible more. While the dead are stored in air conditioned tents, the sick are housed in sweltering overcrowded hospitals. Sweating it out in Paris is our own Paula Hancocks. Paula, what's the latest?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the French government had an emergency meeting this afternoon. All the ministers came back from holiday, including the prime minister himself. And they have come out with a press release over the half hour or so saying that they have announced the white plan, the "plan blanc," this is basically allowing emergency measures to be put in place.
They are announced that for Paris on Wednesday but they're announcing it for the whole of France now. It basically means there will be 1,000 extra hospital beds over the weekend. We have a bank holiday weekend here in Paris tomorrow. Friday is a public holiday.
The official tally from the French government this morning was 3,230 since the heatwave began over the whole of France. But some doctors are saying that estimate is too conservative. One doctor I spoke to this morning, the head of the doctor's emergency association, said that it's between 1,000 and 2,000 people who have died in Paris and the suburbs alone over the last week. So a big discrepancy in numbers there. Doctors saying the government being far too conservative in their estimates.
The French government has also come under a fair bit of pressure for not having reacted to this, what they call, catastrophe earlier on. It's a climatic epidemic, is how they're describing it. But doctors say this has been happening the last seven days. And only today has the government come out and made an official announcement. They say it is too little, too late.
Some of the hospitals are struggling under the added pressure they have. They have some of their workers, their doctors and nurses being called back from holiday to try and deal with the situation -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Paula Hancocks will continue to follow the story. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Heatwave>
Aired August 14, 2003 - 14:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Is it an epidemic? Well that's what the French health minister is calling the deadly heatwave that's gripping the country. Three thousand people are dead, possible more. While the dead are stored in air conditioned tents, the sick are housed in sweltering overcrowded hospitals. Sweating it out in Paris is our own Paula Hancocks. Paula, what's the latest?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the French government had an emergency meeting this afternoon. All the ministers came back from holiday, including the prime minister himself. And they have come out with a press release over the half hour or so saying that they have announced the white plan, the "plan blanc," this is basically allowing emergency measures to be put in place.
They are announced that for Paris on Wednesday but they're announcing it for the whole of France now. It basically means there will be 1,000 extra hospital beds over the weekend. We have a bank holiday weekend here in Paris tomorrow. Friday is a public holiday.
The official tally from the French government this morning was 3,230 since the heatwave began over the whole of France. But some doctors are saying that estimate is too conservative. One doctor I spoke to this morning, the head of the doctor's emergency association, said that it's between 1,000 and 2,000 people who have died in Paris and the suburbs alone over the last week. So a big discrepancy in numbers there. Doctors saying the government being far too conservative in their estimates.
The French government has also come under a fair bit of pressure for not having reacted to this, what they call, catastrophe earlier on. It's a climatic epidemic, is how they're describing it. But doctors say this has been happening the last seven days. And only today has the government come out and made an official announcement. They say it is too little, too late.
Some of the hospitals are struggling under the added pressure they have. They have some of their workers, their doctors and nurses being called back from holiday to try and deal with the situation -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Paula Hancocks will continue to follow the story. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Heatwave>
