FRANÇOISE opened the door to get wood for the fireplace. "I couldn't believe what I saw," he recalls. "There was water right at the gate and a huge wave came in through the garden gate." Her husband Thierry fetched a ladder from the garage with water up to his neck. The family reached the attic where they dug an opening in the ceiling. Drenched and frightened, the couple and their three children waited four long hours for the rescue. Eventually a French police helicopter found them and made them safe.
The rivers overflowed, dykes broke and bridges were destroyed, swollen by pouring rain. Muddy water waves, sometimes over 10 meters high, took everything on its way. More than 30 people died in the storm, were trapped in their cars or drowned in their sleep. One rescued victim compared the terrible November night with the "end of time". An entire region in southwest France, 329 cities, was declared a disaster area.
The worst was yet to come
The southwest was still healing from injuries when the disaster re-emerged. An exceptionally strong drop over the Atlantic has generated hurricane winds. The first storm hit northern France on December 26, 1999 and the second devastated the south the following night. Wind speeds of more than 200 km / h were recorded. According to official figures, France has not seen such a storm in at least the 17th century.
Hélène was eight months pregnant when the storm started. "I was very scared," she recalls. “My husband came home on his motorcycle and I could see branches flying everywhere outside. I couldn't help but believe that she would never see her baby. My husband had barely got there when the water began to rise in our house. We had to jump out of the window. ""
At least 90 people died in France. They drowned or were hit by falling tiles, chimneys, or trees. Hundreds of others were seriously injured, including several civil and military rescue workers. The storms also hit neighboring countries, killing more than 40 people in the UK, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.
consequences
Of the 96 administrative services on mainland France, 69 have been officially designated as "natural disaster areas". The damage was estimated at around 70 billion Swiss francs (11 billion US dollars). The devastation of some cities and ports reminded the audience of a war zone. Roads and railways were blocked by felled trees or poles. Roofs were torn from buildings, construction cranes collapsed and ships were thrown onto the docks. Thousands of gardeners lost their livelihoods when greenhouses and orchards were destroyed.
In just a few hours, the wind ravaged French forests and parks and destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest. According to the French Forestry Office, around 300 million trees were destroyed. Huge old trees were uprooted or broken like matches. Huge streaks of wind swept through the forests of Aquitaine and Lorraine.
"The day after the storm, I went into the forest," said Bernard, one of Jehovah's Witnesses who works as a ranger. "It was incredible. In the face of such a vision, one cannot be indifferent! Here, 80% of my community depend on the forest for a living. People, especially the elderly, are deeply shocked." Versailles Palace, 10,000 trees were felled. "It will be two centuries before the park returns to its former appearance," lamented one of the chief gardeners.
With the fall of the transmission lines, more than a sixth of the French population fell into darkness. Despite the heroic efforts of utility companies, tens of thousands of people were still without electricity or phones two weeks after the storms. Some small villages were completely isolated. Families forced to draw water from wells and use candles felt like they had lived for a hundred years and not on the threshold of the 21st century.
Storms did not spare any public buildings, castles or cathedrals. Many religious buildings, including 15 Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Halls, were damaged. In some places meetings were held by candlelight or kerosene lamps.
Roughly 2,000 families of Jehovah's Witnesses have been damaged by storms on their property, from fallen trees or stray tiles to houses that were completely destroyed when rivers overflowed. Several witnesses were injured. Tragically, in the Charente region, a 77-year-old witness drowned under the eyes of his helpless wife. Others were in close contact with death. Gilbert, 70, recalls, “It's a miracle they didn't kill me. The door opened and the water flowed with incredible force. I was immediately in five feet of water. I was saved when I left my closet. ""
Provides the necessary support
Storms have generated extraordinary solidarity in France and across Europe. Le Midi libre notes: "There are times when charity is almost mandatory, be it spontaneous, out of friendship or out of conscience."
In the immediate aftermath of the storms, Jehovah's Witnesses rescue commissions were formed to help members of local communities and others affected by the disaster. Regional building committees, usually used to build Kingdom Halls, organized teams of volunteers. After the November storm in the southwest, 3,000 Witnesses participated in the rescue and cleanup work, helping victims remove the mud and water that flooded their homes. Witnesses were among the first volunteers to reach some villages. Jehovah's Witnesses cleaned up public buildings such as schools, post offices, town halls, old people's homes, and even a cemetery. In many cases, they worked with the emergency services.
Aid was given to everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs. “We're helping the village priest. We cleaned the basement of your house, ”remarked one witness. Of the other people who received help from Jehovah's Witnesses, he added: "People saw us as if we had fallen from heaven to help them." One officer said, “You can use this as your way of reading the gospel and helping your neighbor. I think whoever came lived the gospel and its religion. "A volunteer Witness commented," Your heart is asking you to come and help. It is a real pleasure to be able to do something for our neighbors. ""
After the double storm in December, dozens of Witness families had no contact with their Christian brothers for several days. Aid was organized under the supervision of tour guides and former residents. Blocked roads and disconnected phone lines sometimes made it impossible to communicate with friends who lived a few miles away. To help isolated members of their community, some Jehovah's Witnesses walked or cycled through desolated forests, despite the real risk of falling trees. Once again, volunteers worked hard to clean schools, libraries, warehouses and homes, and to open paths in the forest.
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