More than 90% of households without electricity by the snow fell Thursday on the Rhone-Alpes region have been recharged but 14,500 were still without power Monday evening in the Drôme, according to the prefecture of the department.
2,300 Enedis agents mobilized
The heavy, sticky snow caused tree falls on power lines and damaged cables, depriving up to 330,000 homes in the region. The distribution network manager has deployed 2,300 agents and hundreds of generators in recent days in the Rhône-Alpes to recharge the inhabitants by running, especially in the most isolated areas. In Drôme, the agents of RTE and Enedis are working to restore a medium voltage line that could allow nearly 8,000 homes to find electricity later in the evening, said the prefecture in a statement.
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A dozen primary schools in Drôme will remain closed on Tuesday as well as the College de la Chapelle-en-Vercors. Accommodation, in addition to those emergency operating year-round, also remain open Monday night to provide a roof and heating to people without electricity. In addition, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes said Monday continue to receive reports of carbon monoxide poisoning due to the malfunction of heating equipment or inappropriate use of auxiliary heating or generators in case of power failure.
The ARS recalls that generators should not be installed inside buildings. In the Vosges, there were in the middle of the day 1,000 stagnant homes in mountain communes in the east of the department.