Storms in France at the end of 1999. Firms´ intervention conditions; feedback [electric utilities]

The climatic events of the end of 1999 enabled the authors to test, in a real life situation, the solidity of the intervention systems set up by EDF or the LDCs and their partners to deal with the consequences of a nationwide French natural catastrophe. The storms that swept the country in two waves, on 26 and 27 December 1999, hitting first the north, then the south-west of France, caused wind damage almost everywhere in the country. EDF distribution centres and LDCs immediately mobilised the available resources, and called upon many public works firms to carry out restoration of service and repair operations on the networks. This paper aims to set out the main lessons learned from this crisis