Voice of America, 99-12-27

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From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>

CONTENTS

[01] EUROPE WEATHER (L-ONLY) BY PAUL MILLER (PARIS)

[02] EUROPE WEATHER (L-ONLY) BY PAUL MILLER (PARIS)

[03] N-Y ECON WRAP (S&L) BY BRECK ARDERY (NEW YORK)

[01] EUROPE WEATHER (L-ONLY) BY PAUL MILLER (PARIS)

INTRO: Western Europe is cleaning up after a fierce winter storm that killed at least 60-people. One of the hardest hit countries is France. Paul Miller reports from Paris that widespread power failures, flooding, and damage have repair crews and firefighters working around the clock.

TEXT: People died in France when the roofs of homes collapsed; others died when trees fell on their cars. One woman was blown into the water at Le Havre and drowned. A million and a half people lost electric power - most of them spent a night without heat as well. The winds were clocked at 200-kilometers an hour on the coast, and a record 170-kilometers at Orly Airport outside Paris. An estimated one-million trees were brought down in the Ile de France area - including large parts of the Bois de Boulogne on the edge of Paris and the gardens at Versailles. In the eastern part of the country, main power lines were destroyed. In the west, especially in Normandy, several villages were inundated by floodwaters. Throughout the northern half of the country, there was widespread damage from wind and falling debris. In Paris, firefighters dealt with thousands of calls - many of them to remove toppled chimneys and other debris before they fell to the ground. Weather forecasters said it was the strongest recorded storm to hit France. In Germany, forecasters said much the same thing about the high winds. Falling branches caused most of the deaths in Germany. In Switzerland two people were killed when a falling tree brought down a cable car. Winds tore buildings apart and flattened forests. Railroads and highways were blocked throughout the three countries. Repair crews say it will take at least 10-days to restore power and clear fallen trees. (SIGNED)
NEB/PM/GE/RAE 27-Dec-1999 10:58 AM EDT (27-Dec-1999 1558 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America

[02] EUROPE WEATHER (L-ONLY) BY PAUL MILLER (PARIS)

INTRO: Western Europe is cleaning up after a fierce winter storm that killed at least 60-people. One of the hardest hit countries is France. Paul Miller reports from Paris that widespread power failures, flooding, and damage have repair crews and firefighters working around the clock.

TEXT: People died in France when the roofs of homes collapsed; others died when trees fell on their cars. One woman was blown into the water at Le Havre and drowned. A million and a half people lost electric power - most of them spent a night without heat as well. The winds were clocked at 200-kilometers an hour on the coast, and a record 170-kilometers at Orly Airport outside Paris. An estimated one-million trees were brought down in the Ile de France area - including large parts of the Bois de Boulogne on the edge of Paris and the gardens at Versailles. In the eastern part of the country, main power lines were destroyed. In the west, especially in Normandy, several villages were inundated by floodwaters. Throughout the northern half of the country, there was widespread damage from wind and falling debris. In Paris, firefighters dealt with thousands of calls - many of them to remove toppled chimneys and other debris before they fell to the ground. Weather forecasters said it was the strongest recorded storm to hit France. In Germany, forecasters said much the same thing about the high winds. Falling branches caused most of the deaths in Germany. In Switzerland two people were killed when a falling tree brought down a cable car. Winds tore buildings apart and flattened forests. Railroads and highways were blocked throughout the three countries. Repair crews say it will take at least 10-days to restore power and clear fallen trees. (SIGNED)
NEB/PM/GE/RAE 27-Dec-1999 10:58 AM EDT (27-Dec-1999 1558 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America

[03] N-Y ECON WRAP (S&L) BY BRECK ARDERY (NEW YORK)

INTRO: Stock prices in the United States were mixed Monday, but the NASDAQ index closed at a record high in a late-session rally. V-O-A Correspondent Breck Ardery reports from New York.

TEXT: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 11- thousand-391, down 14 points. The Standard and Poor's 500 index closed at 14-hundred-57, down one point. The NASDAQ index was up almost six points to a record high three-thousand-975. The NASDAQ index had been down for most of the day, but late-session buying of technology stocks lifted the index to a record. But Richard McCabe of the Merrill Lynch investment company says stocks which have recently been strong may begin to lose some of their luster as the year comes to a close.

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