> WORST FLOODING IN FRANCE FOR SIX DECADES KILLS 27
By John Lichfield in Paris -15 November 1999

The death toll from the violent floods that have ravaged three departments
in south-western France rose to 27 yesterday, amid tales of heroism and
stubborn survival and three family tragedies.  ...There were fears last
night that the death toll might still grow. Nine people were reported
missing in the Aude alone. ...The floods also caused widespread damage and
two deaths in the department of Pyrenees Orientales, but the water was said
to be receding yesterday afternoon. In the Tarn and the Aude departments,
however, villages were still cut off by floodwater, and heavy falls of rain
were forecast overnight.  The floods, said to be the worst for at least 60
years, overwhelmed river banks and dikes on Friday in a matter of minutes.
The Environment Minister, Dominique Voynet, said the floods were a "natural
catastrophe" but the heavy rainfall could not alone explain the speed and
ferocity with which streams and rivers broke their banks. -ABCnews.com