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American Morning

Sizzling in Europe

Aired August 14, 2003 - 07:33   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk a different type of numbers, the numbers in Europe. They are absolutely sizzling. Staggering, also, the number of heat related deaths being reported this morning. The scorching temperatures have been blamed in an estimated 3,000 deaths in France alone.
Let's bring in our Paul Hancocks, who is standing by live in Paris -- Paula, how did we get to 3,000? It seemed like just yesterday the French government was saying it was maybe 175 people who had died from the heat wave.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, exactly, Daryn. That's what a lot of people here are asking, as well. This is really the first official figure that the French government has come out with, and it's a shocking one, 3,000 across the whole of France. Now, they say they're getting their figures from the funeral services. One particular group in particular which accounts for about 25 percent of the French market, and they say they have 37 percent more corpses to deal with than they usually do for this time of the year.

So, really, they are very surprising figures, indeed. As I say, the very first official figure from the French government.

The doctors, though, have been coming out with figures over the last couple of days. I spoke to one of them this morning and he said between 1,000 or 2,000 people have died due to the heat in Paris alone, in the Paris suburbs. So there is a lot of discrepancy between these figures. And if some of the doctors are to be believed, then the figure could be significantly higher than that 3,000 we have from the government.

Now, the government is reacting, though, today. They have come out with a white plan. Now, this is a plan usually that they come out with when you have epidemics, when you have terrorist attacks, that sort of thing, or natural disasters. They've come out with this white plan on Wednesday, which basically means more people, more money to try and combat the heat wave. At the moment they're channeling all their resources into dealing with people that have these heat illnesses.

Most doctors, though, are saying this is far too little far too late. They should have done this at least two weeks ago. We're well into the second week of the heat wave. And although things are cooling down a little over here in Paris -- 95 degrees Fahrenheit today, expected to be slightly lower tomorrow -- we still have a lot of people in these hospitals, very overcrowded hospitals, people on hospital trolleys in the corridors. Doctors say it's just far too late -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Paul Hancocks in Paris, thank you for the latest on that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired August 14, 2003 - 07:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk a different type of numbers, the numbers in Europe. They are absolutely sizzling. Staggering, also, the number of heat related deaths being reported this morning. The scorching temperatures have been blamed in an estimated 3,000 deaths in France alone.
Let's bring in our Paul Hancocks, who is standing by live in Paris -- Paula, how did we get to 3,000? It seemed like just yesterday the French government was saying it was maybe 175 people who had died from the heat wave.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, exactly, Daryn. That's what a lot of people here are asking, as well. This is really the first official figure that the French government has come out with, and it's a shocking one, 3,000 across the whole of France. Now, they say they're getting their figures from the funeral services. One particular group in particular which accounts for about 25 percent of the French market, and they say they have 37 percent more corpses to deal with than they usually do for this time of the year.

So, really, they are very surprising figures, indeed. As I say, the very first official figure from the French government.

The doctors, though, have been coming out with figures over the last couple of days. I spoke to one of them this morning and he said between 1,000 or 2,000 people have died due to the heat in Paris alone, in the Paris suburbs. So there is a lot of discrepancy between these figures. And if some of the doctors are to be believed, then the figure could be significantly higher than that 3,000 we have from the government.

Now, the government is reacting, though, today. They have come out with a white plan. Now, this is a plan usually that they come out with when you have epidemics, when you have terrorist attacks, that sort of thing, or natural disasters. They've come out with this white plan on Wednesday, which basically means more people, more money to try and combat the heat wave. At the moment they're channeling all their resources into dealing with people that have these heat illnesses.

Most doctors, though, are saying this is far too little far too late. They should have done this at least two weeks ago. We're well into the second week of the heat wave. And although things are cooling down a little over here in Paris -- 95 degrees Fahrenheit today, expected to be slightly lower tomorrow -- we still have a lot of people in these hospitals, very overcrowded hospitals, people on hospital trolleys in the corridors. Doctors say it's just far too late -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Paul Hancocks in Paris, thank you for the latest on that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com