AS additional trees and electrical pylons, overloaded by the snow which started falling and by continuing strong winds (up to 100mph), topple and break additional power lines. The government is appealing for private electricians from France and England to volunteer and help reestablish the power grid, as the 15,000-odd employees of the local power companies are totally overwhelmed. Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, which suffered serious damage 24 hours ago, and Spain, the North of which was hit this night too, have of course their own problems.

There is not only the matter of lighting. Temperatures are close to freezing now. Other than wood stoves, fireplaces and gas-fired installations, heating requires electricity. So does the pumping of drinking water, and the telephone. Also, most of the rail network in France runs on electricity. You see the picture. So antiquated steam and diesel locomotives are being taken out from storage. Some 12,000 people are known to be stranded because of immobilized planes, trains and cars, and are being housed in private homes, schools and gymnasiums.

Tens of thousands of sea birds, caught in the oil spill, are dead.

Surviving oil-soaked birds, by the tens of thousands too, are being treated and cleaned in France, and those which are in a slightly better condition, can stand the trip and cannot be handled here for lack of sufficient facilities --and veterinarians-- are being shipped to Belgium and Holland, which also have facilities for this kind of catastrophe. Only a third of the "saved" birds are however expected to survive. The others will succumb to fuel poisoning and shock.

In a lighter vein, we now probably have enough firewood for a couple of decades. Fireplaces should come back into fashion... Unfortunately the second cyclone was as bad as the first. While the first swept over the northern half of France and continued over Belgium, Switzerland and Germany, the one last night swept over the southern two thirds of France and continued with lesser force over the Mediterranean, Switzerland again, and Italy.

Death toll in France up to 62, in the whole of Europe some 130, practically all killed by falling trees, chimneys and roofs. Many hundreds injured. Notre Dame Cathedral, the Sainte Chapelle (most beautiful stained glass windows in the world) and the Strasbourg cathedral are damaged. Two million homes are without electricity, up from about 20,000 after the first cyclone.
Apparently about 150,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Road and rail traffic still mostly paralyzed. Air traffic spotty. Many regions and cities in France are flooded by the torrential rains and overflowing rivers, polluting the water supply. According to the government, about 40% of the trees in France were broken or uprooted. A major ecological disaster which will take decades, if ever, to repair.

The other ecological disaster continues too. The tanker Erika is broken in two, 480ft down in the Atlantic, where the storm is still raging. There are 20ft waves and salvage is impossible. 300mi of coastline are coated with a thick, smelly goo, the consistence of chewing gum, and the Erika is still spewing oil.