On the roads of the Massif Central, where many vehicles were trapped, the return to normal is expected late afternoon.
Back to yellow and green. Since noon, Tuesday, October 30, there is no longer any department in orange alert according to the vigilance map broadcast by Météo France.
Ardennes (08), Aube (10), Côte-d'Or (21), Marne (51) and Haute-Marne (52) were the last departments concerned by the snow and ice alarm issued since Monday morning.
2,000 vehicles trapped in the night
The weather has immobilized up to 1,250 trucks and 700 cars on various axes of the Massif Central, often trapped on their return from work, according to the police.
That night, 950 people in Haute-Loire and 200 in the Loire, blocked on the roads, especially on the RN 88 between Saint-Etienne and Le-Puy-en-Velay, were housed in emergency centers, according to the prefectures.
Among these unfortunate motorists, the communist senator Cécile Cukierman said "angry" at the lack of communication authorities after spending the night in his car on the ring road of Saint-Etienne.
Tuesday mid-day, despite the stop of snowfall, trucks were still prevented from accessing the RN 88 at Givors (Rhône) and Firminy (Loire).
Vigilance Orange- Situation at 7:30 am - traffic ban:
- all vehicles on RN88 between the limit of 42 and the roundabout Lachamp.
- at PL> 7,5T
Mandatory equipment for all other vehicles on RN102 and RN88 between Lachamp and 48 https://t.co/u2NIJmWASB
The prefect of the Loire regrets certain behaviors
The prefect of the Loire Evence Richard said he was "hopeful" that traffic will be restored "around 16:00" between the Loire and Haute-Loire.
"I can understand the discontent of our fellow citizens who have been immobilized for hours in their vehicles, but we have the satisfaction of managing this delicate snow episode without a serious accident, let alone a fatal one," said Richard.
The prefect also deplored that "a large number of these motorists, who were nevertheless informed of the orange alert, (aie) took the road without snow tires or chains, nor the bare necessities in terms of food, drink or cover " .
A death in Aveyron
On the A89, where he fell in places up to 50 centimeters of snow in a few hours, the situation was still complicated but improving in the direction of Lyon-Clermont, says the operator Vinci, which mobilized 70 snow removal equipment since the day before.
️ #Snow ️ # A89 Exceptional Winter Episode: Situation in the Massif Central. Listen to @ Radio1077 pic.twitter.com/uLkRbPGfo4
- VINCI Autoroutes (@VINCIAHighways) October 30, 2018In the Aveyron, a traffic accident with 4 vehicles linked to the bad weather resulted in Monday the death of a 75-year-old woman.
Government satisfied with warnings
"It's always difficult to say that it worked well when hundreds of people were able to experience a difficult night. But the emergency shelter system worked well. Many places had been opened upstream; warning systems between Météo-France and local authorities and regional government services have also worked well, " said France Minister responsible for local authorities, Sebastien Lecornu.
Up to 195,000 households without electricity
Highly disturbed since Monday night, rail traffic between Lyon and Saint-Etienne was returning to normal. On the other hand, the connections between Saint-Etienne and Le Puy and Montbrison will not resume until Wednesday morning.
At the Part-Dieu train station in Lyon, 500 passengers found themselves without a train to reach Saint-Etienne. Nearly 400 of them spent the night in two trains of TGV and a hundred others were accommodated at the hotel.
In total, up to 195,000 households were deprived of electricity in France after heavy snow and rain, said Enedis, the manager of the power distribution network. First touched, the Loire department still concentrated 52,000 households without electricity in the morning.
The situation is improving in Corsica and on the Côte d'Azur
The situation was clearly improving in the south-east, where the operational centers of the Var and Maritime Alps were closed.
As a result of "a stroke of the sea" , "23 establishments were however impacted by the swell in Menton, as well as the Jean-Cocteau museum, where several works had to be put in security" , was one learned with firefighters. Also in Menton, 11 people had to be evacuated from their flags and relocated, two boats sank in the port, and several others broke their moorings.
Same improvement in Corsica, out of orange vigilance for storms, rain-floods, waves-submersions. On Monday evening, a 70-year-old retired firefighter was seriously injured by a piece of wind-blown gate in Balagne, in the north-west of the island.