Just three minutes to wreck a town. Now the long clear up begins

Tuesday's papers here in France of course are full of pictures and stories of the devastation brought on the town of Hautmont and the surrounding areas of Boussières-sur-Sambre and Neuf-Mesnil in the north of the country on the night of Sunday to Monday after a tornado struck, killing three people and injuring 18.

Around 700 homes were damaged or completely destroyed, and in Hautmont alone - a town of 16,000 people - at least 500 homes to between 2,000-3,000 people were hit according to local officials.

An initial €300, 000 has been made available in emergency aid, with the promise of more to come, and a trauma team is on its way to help those who are only now returning early from their holidays, to cope with the devastation they're likely to face.

The local authorities with the help of the Red Cross are busy providing temporary shelter and food for those without accommodation or whose homes are deemed inhabitable.

Of course the size of the event was by no means on the same sort of scale as some weather disasters in other parts of the world. But tornados are a rare occurrence in Europe, let alone in northern France, and when they happen, few are prepared. And the impact on the local community has been enormous.

The pictures of upturned cars, roofs stripped completely of tiles, trees uprooted and some buildings no more than a pile of rubble tell a tale in themselves of how in just three minutes, winds of up to 220 kilometres an hour and driving rain were able to wreak such havoc.

The personal accounts also tell a moving story and now, after the initial shock of what happened, they've started emerging.

One resident told the national daily, Liberation, how he couldn't believe what he was seeing at first.

"To begin with I thought it was a small storm, just the same as we're used to," Julian Lenoir told the paper. " But then I saw what was flying past the window outside, I got hold of my little brother and hid in one of the bedrooms at the back of the house."

Another inhabitant was just thankful his family was safe, although his daughter had been hurt slightly in the tornado.

"The wardrobe fell on my daughter. If she had been asleep, she would have been dead," Mohamed Gharbi told the paper. "I said to my wife the house is about to take off - and we all went and hid in the bathroom for safety."

While three people died as a direct result of the tornado, it was sadly all too much for one 76-year-old resident, who local officials confirmed had taken his own life after losing his home.

Visiting the town on Monday, the interior minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, went so far as to describe Hautmont as looking as though a bomb had hit it. And she should know what she's talking about. Before taking over her current job, Alliot-Marie was this country's defence minister.

"I have rarely seen devastation such as this outside a war zone," Alliot-Marie told the press.

"It resembles scenes I've witnessed at certain moments in southern Lebanon," she added. "One has the impression that the place had been bombed."

During her visit Alliot-Marie promised €300,000 in immediate emergency relief and said a team of psychologists and trauma specialist would be sent to the area.

The government also plans to hold a special session before the end of the month to discuss a more comprehensive aid package and to make certain that those who have lost their homes and many of their possessions don't have to struggle with insurance claims for compensation.

While the clear up has begun and the emergency services are busy ensuring power supplies are up and running and the area made secure, and the insurance companies are already on the scene assessing the extent of the damage, there are also some other, less welcome visitors to the town of Hautmont.

The plain curious or "disaster tourists" as one local woman described them on national radio, who've come to see first hand the misfortune of others. They're apparently "not getting in the way or hampering the clear up", she said, but "they're there, watching and looking."

France's top 50 favourites "French" of course. What else did you expect?

Here's a test for some of you Francophiles out there. Who do you think the most popular (French) person in France is?

Well twice a year the national Sunday newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, JDD, publishes a list of this country's 50 most popular "celebrities". The inverted commas are there to stress how broad a term that is - encompassing figures from the world of sports, entertainment and heaven help us, politics.

Twice a year perhaps, not because there's that much difference between the two polls, but it sure does fill a few column inches, sets tongues a-wagging and provides some simple filler fodder for television and radio news bulletin, when there's not much else about.

And once again - just as he was last December - it's former tennis ace-turned singer and musician Yannick Noah, who is this country's most popular person.

Now you might not initially give two hoots about who the French consider to be their favourite person. But hang about a moment, because in a sense it reveals quite a lot about the country, the people and the way they think, if for nothing more than the sheer diversity of the people listed.

Tennis ace

Noah's father was a professional footballer for the Cameroon and his mother the daughter of a French poet.

It was his tennis career that first put him on the map, winning the French Open at Roland Garros back in 1983, endearing him to many in France by bringing pride to the nation as a Frenchman winning on home turf (or better said clay). He twice steered the French team as captain to victory in the Davis Cup and in the 1990s reinvented himself as a musician and singer with the first in a string of hit albums and singles.

Twice married with five children - one of whom, Joakim plays for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA - Noah perhaps represents much of what the French love about their "stars". He is an individual who has succeeded in more than one sphere and is not afraid to speak his mind.

He has been an outspoken defender of the rights of immigrants, humanitarian causes and the environment as well as being politically engaged and critical of the centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement UMP) party.

In last year's presidential election he openly supported the Socialist candidate, Ségolène Royal, and told the media he would be "profoundly disappointed" if Nicolas Sarkozy were to win.

Box office hit

Figuring for the first time in the poll as the country's second most popular figure is the actor, comedian and director Dany Boon.

Again another multi-talented person (seemingly a French speciality as many stars shine in more than one field) Boon's latest film, Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, became the country's largest grossing domestic box office hit ever when it was released in February this year, attracting more than 20 million cinema goers.

Again that says a lot about the French, who are not exactly renowned for being able to laugh at themselves. The film illustrates with a great deal of humour, the differences between those living in the "cold, wet north" and their virtually impenetrable dialect with those from the "hot, sunny south" of the country.

It's not the French laughing "at" those from the north (where Boon was born and brought up) but "with" them, challenging the established clichés and prejudices.

Of course it's a formula guaranteed to work abroad. The rights have already been sold to Italy. And in the United States, look out for actor Will Smith to Hollywood-it up.

Zizou, the environmentalist and the top woman

Retired football international, and arguably one of the world's greatest players ever, Zinedine Zidane, ranks third in the new poll.

Whatever he may have done during the closing minutes of the 2006 World Cup final in Germany, "Zizou", as he is affectionately known here, remains an idol for many of the country's youth and a favourite among the French in general and has held the top spot several times over the years.

At number 4 in the rankings is a man probably not too well known outside of France, - the environmentalist, ecologist and TV presenter, Nicolas Hulot.

Against all odds perhaps, he somehow managed to get politicians in last year's presidential elections to sign a pledge saying they would make environmental issues an essential element in any of their policy decisions should they be elected.

Rounding out the top five is the first woman - a perennial favourite in this country, in the shape of the diminutive, Mimie Mathy - star of a popular television series, comdienne, singer and all-round entertainer.

Top favourites

In the 20 years that the poll has been going, only five different people have occupied the number one slot, proving perhaps that once the French take someone to their hearts, they're unwilling and unlikely to drop them.

And none of the most revered five has been Posh 'n Becks or Brangelina types figures.

Topping the list for more than a decade were two men. Either the French naval office, explorer, ecologist, fimaker, scientist, photographer - you name it he seems to have done it - the late Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Or L'Abbé Pierre.

In fact when the newspaper decided to commission the "top of the tops" so-to-speak, it was L'Abbé Pierre who came out ahead - just.

And few in this country will forget the tributes paid to him last year when he died at the age of 94.

During his life, the Catholic priest (born Henri Grouès) was not only a member of the French resistance in the Second World War, but a member of parliament, a champion of the poor, the homeless and of refugees.

In 1949 he founded the Emmaus charity here in France, a concept for providing accommodation and employment for otherwise homeless people and "recycling" a number of what might otherwise be considered "useless" products.

In France, if you have a table for example that you no longer need, don't throw it out, but donate it to Emmaus instead, they'll sell it on and put the money to good use.

L'Abbé Pierre was, and still is, the "voice and the conscience" of the poor for many here in France.

The only other three French (men - as a woman has yet make the number one slot) to top the poll have all been sportsmen. As well as Noah and Zizou of course, there has been multi world and Olympic judo champion, David Douillet.

Best of the rest

Among other notable names that might strike a chord outside of France in this latest Top 50 is the recently sacked prime time news anchor Patrick Poivre d'Avoir, PPDA (15).

He still remains popular in spite of what his former employer TF1 might think. PPDA's replacement in the autumn, the golden girl of television news, Laurence Ferrari (48), makes her first appearance in the top 50.

Among politicians, it's Ingrid Betancourt (21) , much in the headlines after her release last month by FARC and also making her first appearance in the list, who is the highest placed, well ahead of Sarkozy (44) and Royal (49).

In between the two "finalists" for last year's French presidential race is another face from the world of (French) politics, the 34-year-old leader and spokesman of the far left, Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire, Olivier Besancenot (45). Now that certainly speaks volumes about how the French view their politicians.

And squeezing in to the top 50 for the very first time is Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, officially defined in the poll as a "singer"

There's nothing like good neighbours

And if the case of the recent discovery of the body of a 70-year-old man in his apartment in the town of Aix-les-Bains in southeastern France is anything to go by, he had anything but "good neighbours."

While there's nothing too unusual perhaps in the report of an elderly person's death going unnoticed, especially when he or she lives alone, there must be more than a little cause for concern in cases such as this one.

That's because investigators believe that the man's body, found mummified in his apartment on the 14th floor of a social housing block of flats last week, had been there for anything up to three years.

Media reports confirm that the man did indeed live alone and had no close family in the region.

But where were the neighbours?

Well one of them - living on the same floor - told reporters that he apparently crossed the 70-year-old on the landing occasionally, and the last time the two had spoken was after his dog had died. That was FOUR years ago.

The caretaker of the building - yes unbelievably there is one - but obviously not taking a great deal "care" of its occupants, noticed just last week that the old man's letter box was full to overflowing - clearly an astute woman - and alerted the authorities.

The police arrived, forced open the door and discovered the body. The official explanation of death was through "natural causes" and there won't be any inquiry launched.

Perhaps though there should be one opened on the morality and intellect of the neighbours who you would think might just have noticed that something wasn't quite right.

One of them, when questioned by reporters said,

"I didn't know that someone had died in the building. There are 14 floors and people are moving in and out all the time."

Not surprisingly perhaps, the neighbour - a woman - wanted to remain anonymous.

To put this sad story into context, there are a couple of other elements that need to be included.

A few years ago in Europe - August 2003 to be precise - there was a heat wave across much of the continent. In France alone around 15,000 people, mainly elderly, died as a consequence and there was a public outcry.

There have been subsequent calls each summer (and winter) from the authorities for people to keep a watchful but not-too-obtrusive eye on elderly neigbours.

There was even a half-hearted, but bungled attempt by the government to launch a "day of Solidarity" whereby people would give up one of the public holidays in May and instead work "free" with all money earned being put in a special fund to help the elderly.

Surprise, surprise (given the evidence of this case) the idea didn't work for one reason or another and was finally shelved this year.

As long ago as 1999, the campaign to promote good neighbourliness was launched here in France. From humble beginnings with just 10,000 participants taking part in 80 buildings dotted around the capital, La Fête des voisins (neighbours day) has grown to more than 5 million people in 600 local authorities throughout the country, according to organisers' figures for 2007.

And even since 2004 the concept has been exported to many other parts of Europe with Journée européenne des voisins (European neighbours' day) in around 150 towns and cities.

Sadly, the idea and the news do not seem to have reached Aix-les-Bains.