15 000 deaths ! :(

Not from terrorism. Not in a war. Not in a faraway country. Not during Middle Age. It happened here and now, in France, this summer : 15 000 old people died from the heat wave that spread over Europe this summer. :(

Worse is, I tried to find an article in English to quote here,but I couldn't find any. Well, I found small articles saying how bad the heat wave has been and that some old people died, but not a single one saying how dreadful the number of deaths has been ! :(

They were all old people. Are they less 'people' ? The 9/11 event resulted in half that number of deaths, and yet it is considered a major historical event. What is it that makes these deaths less dreadful ?

This didn't happen everywhere in Europe. All European countries have suffered from the heat wave, and most of them registred a few hundred extra deaths, but France has got the appalling record. :(

Significantly, France also has the record of the fewer rate of people working on the care for old persons. One wonders why so many people are unemployed and yet when the heat wave struck there was a huge shortage of people taking care of our elders. One wonders in what kind of society we choose to live, where you are let out as son as you are no longer 'profitable'. :(

Our President and our Prime Minister didn't bother come back from their summer vacation when many hospital doctors raised the alarm. Our Government waited several days after they were aware of the dangers, to finally launch an emergency plan. Then after the disater happened, they tried to say they had not been told (! Not been told ! What is 'responsibility' all about ? :( ), and then they tried to hide the figures. And they proficiently accused the people of selfishness, for not having been attentive to their old neighbours. And as a logical consequence, since people are constantly told to run after more efficiency, more profitability, and can not spare time for simple human cares ... they plan to remove a national holiday so the profits or this additional day will be given to old people care. Makes a lot of sense - since the race for profit doesn't leave us enough free time to care about our neighbours, let's run some more. :(

I am ashamed of my country. I am ashamed of the society we choose to live in. :(

What do you think about it ? Did you learn about it in the news ? What do you suggest we do about it ?

I'm suprised you couldn't find s link Moiraine it was widely reported.

Yes, it was all over the news here as well. Quite a few old people would have died of the heat anyway, after all it happens every year, but these numbers were very disturbing.

Shows how much Chirac, or any other politician, cares about the people they rule. :rolleyes:

Moiraine that is indeed, shocking and horrible! That so many died and that so many tried to ignore the devestating numbers! I grieve with you. :( The age of the victims shouldn't matter, what SHOULD matter is that they were in need and nobody could or would give them the aid they required!

I heard about it on the television news and I realized that the heat must be pretty bad, but I couldn't believe the numbers they were saying at the time! It just didn't seem possible. I know we lose many older people to cold in winter or heat in summer, but I've never heard of any losses so huge any place else. :(

[ 09-19-2003, 08:26 AM: Message edited by: Cloudbringer ]

The last figure I'd heard on the news a week or so ago was 10,000. It was in the news here, Moiraine. The misbehavior of your government had not been reported, though -- at least that I heard.

I'd like to know what an average number is for summer in France, to get an idea of how many of the deaths were additional. Maybe I'm making this up, but I thought I heard the number 3,000 somewhere.

Since the heat wave you experienced is normal Summer weather where I live; I can really understand the health danger, especially for the very young and the elderly. Maybe it is because we are used to such weather that everyone makes a special effort to drink enough water, check on the sick and elderly, etc. What really shocked me were reports that it was so bad because people just went on long vacations without providing for elderly family members.

The number of deaths is just to shocking. Why didn't people do more, especially for their own family members? What was the government doing? How could so many die? I know that we all are struggling with these qeustions. I just pray that nothing like this happens again.

What difference would it have really made? Its not like they could wave their hands and make the temperature go down.

What difference would it have really made? Its not like they could wave their hands and make the temperature go down. </font>[/QUOTE]Sure but such act is inpropraite especially for a President or Prime Minister.

<font color = lightgreen>We did hear about your nation's tragedy here, Moiraine. Very, very sad and tragic. The behavior of some politicians is criminally--even inhumanly--negligent. [img]graemlins/madhell.gif[/img]

I know we usually have some deaths from heat every summer here in TX, but we have never suffered anything like what France just suffered.

Heat waves should be placed in the same category as other natural disasters like tsunami. The fact that a heat wave is slow means that people have time to prepare for it and guard against it.

However, this story is woefully underreported here. </font>

Other than insure that all citizens have access to a clean water supply and shaded workplace/break area there isn't much your government can/could do Moiraine except mourn the people you all have lost. Despite all of our modern technology we all still live at the whim of our world. Sometimes it is kind, and sometimes it is so cruel. I hope you did not lose anyone dear to you, and if you did, you have my condolensces.