STORM
Hurricane hits France: at least one dead, 1.2 million households without electricity
Hurricane Ciaràn hit the coasts of France with force in the morning hours, like here in Brittany
© MAXPPP / Imago Images
Hurricane Ciaràn caused severe devastation in France. At least one person was killed by a falling tree and 1.2 million households are without electricity. The storm is expected to be over by midday.
The hurricane depression “Ciaràn”, accompanied by severe storms, has hit the northwest France hit. Fallen trees blocked roads and railway lines, and there were local power outages on Thursday night. Hundreds of firefighters were on duty. As a precautionary measure, individual towns evacuated areas directly on the coast. A 21 meter high storm wave was measured off the Finistère department.
France: 1.2 million households without power due to hurricane, at least one death
1.2 million households in France are without power due to the hurricane. Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said on Thursday morning that technicians were busy restoring the supply. 780,000 of the affected households are in Brittany, as the electricity supplier Enedis announced. 3,000 technicians are on duty. Even before the severe storms on Thursday night, the electricity supplier had relocated convoys of vehicles and staff to the affected regions.
Meanwhile, the first fatality from the storm was reported in France: a truck driver died during the night when his vehicle was hit by a falling tree, Transport Minister Clément Beaune told France Info. Although the storm is already easing in parts of the country, people should be careful and observe driving bans in the regions, he said.
At least two people were slightly injured in France by the storm. It involves a firefighter and a driver whose car was hit by a tree.
There was a risk of flooding from storm waves on the Atlantic coast, the north coast and the eastern Mediterranean coast until the evening. The authorities warned urgently about the storm. Communities had reinforced dams and set up additional barricades near the coast on Wednesday.
The strongest winds are expected to pass by midday
In the western department of Finistère, a person was slightly injured when a tree fell on his car. A firefighter also suffered minor injuries. Due to numerous fallen trees, traffic on the department’s country roads was prohibited on Thursday morning. Gusts of wind locally reached speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour.
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The highest severe weather warning level, red, continues to apply in two departments and the warning level, orange, in 24 others. Train services in the regions of Brittany, Normandy, Pays de Loire, Hauts de France and Center Val de Loire will remain largely suspended on Thursday. Regional trains were also disrupted by fallen trees in the Paris area. The strongest winds from the hurricane depression are likely to have passed in France by Thursday morning.