France braced for freezing cold week
Emergency plans to house homeless come into action. Next weekend's Christmas getaway on the roads could be hit by snow
FOUR departments have put in place emergency measures to cope with a wave of cold weather that will hit the whole of France this week.
The Manche, Marne, Ile-et-Vilaine and Loire Atlantique are giving extra help to homeless people as night-time temperatures fall below -5c.
The Plan Grand Froid automatically comes into force as soon as the night-time temperature drops below -5c and daytime temperatures are below freezing.
It requires préfectures to house the homeless in cold weather and offer them reinforced medical care.
According to health watchdog l'Institut du Veille Sanitaire, 6,000 people died from the cold last winter. Not all of them were homeless - others lived in temporary accommodation without adequate heating.
The emergency services have been told to look out for people sleeping rough, and extra shelters have been opened. Anyone in France who sees a homeless person suffering in the cold weather can call the Samu Social on 115.
According to Météo France, temperatures will drop to -6c overnight in some parts of the country this week.
Snow is expected across the east, Languedoc-Roussillon and the Midi-Pyrénées today, while coastal areas will get rain and strong cold winds.
The coldest spell looks likely to begin on Wednesday and will continue until at least Sunday, with widespread snow across the north and west of the country.
See a detailed forecast for your area here.
