After the shock, place for mobilization. Just over 48 hours after the terrible hailstorm that devastated the town of Taillan-Médoc, north-west of Bordeaux (Gironde), it is time for crisis management and preparation for reconstruction.
This Thursday morning, Mayor Agnès Versepuy runs from one room to another in her town hall. Responds to calls as well as our questions. It must organize both the reception of children when schools have closed, assistance to its constituents for insurance declarations, and the establishment of a psychological unit for those who have been most shocked. “I received people in tears,” she slips.
The first assessment of this storm, which hit the city for about fifteen minutes on Monday around 9:30 p.m., reports around 3,000 homes affected, out of the 5,000 in the town. “A first estimate, very low, tells us that a hundred houses are uninhabitable, but this figure will increase. Dozens of cars were destroyed. “Those who only had the car affected consider themselves spared”, underlines the elected official.
“The ceilings started to turn brown, then to crack”
Fred and Marie Duval, a couple with three children, suffered the double penalty. House and cars destroyed. Like almost all their neighbors in their neighborhood. “At the beginning there were small hailstones, then it started to hit very hard, we weren’t laughing anymore”, recalls the couple.
Water began to seep into their home through the roof. “We put buckets, basins, towels, to mop up… The ceilings started to turn brown, then to crack. But it didn’t fall apart right away. We ended up resigning ourselves, and with a heavy heart we left around 1:30 in the morning. The firefighters had come to lay a tarp, there was nothing more to do. »
Gone to stay with relatives, the couple returned the next morning. “We could no longer open our door. Everything had fallen inside. The complete securing of the house will only be done “today or tomorrow”. Fred and Marie know “that the situation is not going to be resolved quickly: everyone is overwhelmed, there are shortages of tiles everywhere…”
The municipality has already received 879 citizens
“The hardest part is yet to come, confirms Agnès Versepuy. We have stabilized crisis management, by opening a place at short notice for those who did not know where to sleep. But there are fears of having more crowds in the coming days, when some will understand that the insurance will soon stop paying for relocation. Some will be able to stay with relatives, but not all, and in addition it is not necessarily next door, while many have also lost their cars. »
Some who had survived psychologically until now are beginning to break down, “because they understand that they can no longer live in their house, that they have lost everything. “Between Monday evening and Wednesday evening, the municipality received 879 citizens, “who presented themselves at the town hall in particular to have their insurance claims supported. »
Half of the public buildings unusable
To make matters worse, a new storm hit the city on Wednesday morning. Without hail but with intense rain. “It was difficult to live with, but our watchword was the continuity of public service, we absolutely had to show that we are there to manage the situation. »
However, Monday evening’s storm did damage to the city’s heritage as well. “We have identified 49 public buildings, from schools to technical services and administrative services, which are unusable, i.e. 50% of our fleet, notes Agnès Versepuy. We have closed our three school groups, which represents 700 children. We are forced to wait and see if the ceilings will dry out or not, as they threaten to collapse, and we do not yet know if we will be able to reopen schools on Monday. »
Beware of Fake Entrepreneurs Who Come to Scam Victims
In the meantime, an emergency reception is at the cultural center of the city. This Thursday, 370 children were received. “We try to welcome as many as possible, so that parents continue to manage the crisis, but we invite those who can keep their children to do so, in order to relieve our teams. “Teams totally mobilized, and who in the absence of a kitchen, improvised to make a lunch based on sandwiches and crisps this Thursday.
Another subject to manage is that of attempted scams. “We had a lot of malicious acts, laments the elected official. In all the streets of the town there are trucks of false contractors who charge 1,500 euros, 3,000 euros, and even once up to 10,000 euros, simply to cover the roof. Fortunately, the municipal police of Eysines, Parempuyre, Le Haillan, Blanquefort, come to lend us a hand to remove these people, and the gendarmerie takes this very seriously. »
“Emergency is everywhere”
Aware that “we will not get out of it alone”, Agnès Versepuy also launches an appeal. With the prefecture and Bordeaux Métropole so that they mobilize resources. Also for professionals and individuals. “We need roofers, we are also going to need boxes, because people are emptying their houses, and we have to do it quickly because the rain will continue to fall until the end of the week. We also need tarps, those with trucks or trailers can come too, and we need arms to help carry furniture. »
“The urgency is everywhere”, concludes the elected official before spinning for a new appointment. She estimates that it will take “a year to fix everything. »