the essentials Security, shops, evacuation of rubble… Jean-Luc Moudenc, the mayor of Toulouse answered questions this Saturday late morning following the collapse of a building in the city center, rue Saint- Rome, one of the most commercial arteries of the Pink City.
The mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc, went to rue Saint-Rome at the end of the morning, to the site of the collapse. He recalled that as of Tuesday, the city had taken measures to secure the building in place of the co-owners’ trustee.
Were there barriers around the building last night?
Yes of course there was a security perimeter which had been ensured since Tuesday and moreover the collapse took place inside this perimeter, behind the barriers.
Today the security perimeter is expanded. What about it?
Today we need to circulate a lot of trucks to clear the rubble so we are going to close from Esquirol to Capitole so that this can be done as quickly as possible.
How will this happen for the merchants who are impacted on rue Saint-Rome and closed this Saturday?
For the moment, safety is the priority, we are closing the street, we are removing the rubble. The sooner we clear the rubble, the sooner we can reopen.
You have evacuated certain buildings, can residents still come and go?
We evacuated the neighboring buildings which are threatened by a possible evolution of the situation from the deposit of rubble. As the rubble is removed, it is certain that the pressure on adjoining buildings will decrease and so will the risk. When all security conditions are met and verified, those evacuated tonight will be able to return to their homes. But I am not able to say when this will be the case.
How long will this take?
The removal of the rubble, the company told me that it will certainly take all day, the question is whether it will encroach into the night. I asked that a municipal decree be issued to authorize the company to intervene throughout the night if necessary. It may not be useful, but at least legally we will be covered.
Will anything be put in place for merchants whose stores are closed and who will have a loss of income?
This is a question to which we are sensitive, we have always supported local commerce. I myself am worried about the situation, there are already traders who have had their activity stopped since Tuesday and are already victims of this situation. We will look at all of this as objectively as possible, knowing that there are several situations: there are businesses that had their activity in the collapsed building and those prevented from operating as a precaution because of the security perimeter. These are different situations, we are here to support these traders throughout the necessary period.
A “non-alarmist” expertise carried out last week
“An expertise was carried out last week, the conclusions were not alarmist, on the contrary. There is a whole chain of private responsibility, it is not up to me to speculate anything. I made sure with my colleagues and services to ensure that the community is reactive in its responsibilities: from the moment we have reports, that we react for the safety of people is what we have not done” , indicated the mayor of Toulouse, Jean Luc Moudenc.