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| Hundreds of pilgrims evacuated as floods swamp Lourdes | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 21 Oct 2012, 12:33 AM (72 Views) | |
| skibboy | 21 Oct 2012, 12:33 AM Post #1 |
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20 OCTOBER 2012 Hundreds of pilgrims evacuated as floods swamp Lourdes ![]() Floods triggered by days of non-stop rain in southwest France caused the closure of most of the Catholic sanctuary of Lourdes and the evacuation of hundreds of pilgrims. AFP - Floods caused by days of non-stop rain in southwest France caused the closure of most of the Catholic sanctuary of Lourdes Saturday and the evacuation of hundreds of pilgrims, local authorities said. "We are evacuating all the hotels in the lower town," an official from the regional prefecture told AFP. "We've already brought out 270 and another 236 remain." Buses ferried guests from the hotels to a conference centre and a sports complex. Two campsites were also evacuated and several roads closed around Lourdes, where Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared to peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous in a grotto in 1858, as the river Gave de Pau burst its banks. The water was around one metre (three feet) deep in front of the grotto and 80 centimetres in the avenue du Paradis, where most of the hotels for pilgrims are located, after what officials said was the worst flooding in 25 years. Only the massive basilica, built on higher ground, was still accessible. The Gave de Pau was still three metres (10 feet) above its usual level Saturday morning, as weather forecasts predicted that the rain that has been falling non-stop since Thursday should continue until Sunday. A heavy downpour is forecast for Saturday evening and night. In the same region 8,000 homes were still without electricity after strong winds Thursday and Friday brought down power lines "I've seen nothing like it in 40 years," said hotel-owner Pierre Barrere as he watched the pilgrims being evacuated. Catherine Brun from Grenoble in southeast France was told to leave at 8:30 a.m. (0630GMT). She said she had just had time to take her car from the garage before the water suddenly rose. Rescuers evacuated her mother, who is frail, in a boat some hours later. The two women were taken to another hotel. Lourdes attracted more than six million visitors last year. The Catholic church recognises 67 miracles linked to it and many disabled or sick people go there to pray for a cure. source:
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| skibboy | 22 Oct 2012, 12:24 AM Post #2 |
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21 OCTOBER 2012 France assesses damage as Lourdes floodwaters abate ![]() Local residents clean up a mud-covered street in the southwestern French town of Lourdes. A massive cleanup is under way in the French pilgrimage town as firefighters pumped water from its famed Catholic sanctuaries after flooding forced the evacuation of hundreds of pilgrims. AFP - A massive cleanup was under way in the French pilgrimage town of Lourdes on Sunday as firefighters pumped water from its famed Catholic sanctuaries after flooding forced the evacuation of hundreds of pilgrims. The waters from days of non-stop rain in the region had begun to recede but the main places of worship remained closed to the public. Thierry Castillo, the custodian of the sanctuaries, told AFP that the estimate of the damages ran into "hundreds of thousands of euros." Pope Benedict XVI evoked the flooding at a special mass Sunday in the Vatican where he named seven new saints, saying: "Let us turn to the Virgin Mary with a thought for Lourdes, the victim of flash floods which inundated the grotto where the Madonna had appeared." The national weather service lifted the "orange alert" for rain that it had issued for the area, but left in place an "orange warning" for floods. "The waters rose between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am, but less than Saturday morning. The floods are currently receding. Things are returning to normal. There's no major worry anymore," David Ribeiro, a sub-prefect of the region, told AFP. Several areas in the town, including a grotto which attracts millions of visitors annually, were inundated on Saturday as the river Gave de Pau burst its banks, leading to the closure of the main places of worship. Many of the pilgrims are drawn by the spring waters of the shrine, which the devout believe can heal and even work miracles. Buses ferried guests from all the hotels in the lower town to a conference centre and a sports complex on Saturday. Two campsites were also evacuated and several roads closed in Lourdes, where Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared to peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous in a cave in 1858. The water was around one metre (three feet) deep in front of the grotto and 80 centimetres in the avenue du Paradis, where most of the hotels for pilgrims are located, after what officials said was the worst flooding in 25 years. On Sunday, the waters had receded from the streets but in many places left mud and slush up to 10 centimetres high. The body supervising the sanctuaries said a hydro-electricity unit providing power to the shrines had been badly damaged as well as two pedestrian walkways on the side of the river. "There has been serious damage," said Castillo, the custodian of the sanctuaries, adding that the electricity unit had been battered "by two tree trunks transported by the Gave de Pau." Entry to the sanctuaries was barred, and many visitors voiced disappointment, like Laura Generini, an Italian who turned 39 on Sunday. "I hope I will be able to pray at the grotto before I leave," said Generini, who came from Florence. Others were undaunted. "We will return in spring," said Eric Alves d'Olivera, from the southern French city of Montpellier. Shops hawking souvenirs were however open on Sunday, and some owners complained that the reaction to the flash floods was too heavy-handed and hurt their business. "There is great panic over something not that big. We have seen worse like in 1982," said Lise Aldaz, who owns a souvenir shop. "Luckily this came at the end of the season," she said. "It's sad for the people, especially the foreign visitors." source:
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9:34 AM Jul 11