A week after the deadly winds that hit Corsica, the government announced on Thursday the deployment of five weather buoys to better predict storms.
“We have experienced an exceptional episode of rare violence, but that forces us to put in the means to be able to better prevent”, declared to AFP by telephone the Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville.
“Adapting to the consequences of climate change”
After placing Corsica on yellow vigilance for thunderstorms on August 17, Météo-France had switched the island to orange vigilance only a few minutes before the gusts hit the coast the next day around 08:30. Very brutal and sudden, the storm had done enormous damage in just a few hours, and caused the death of five people.
Visiting the island on Thursday, after visiting the places most affected by these deadly storms like Girolata (Corse-du-Sud) and Calvi (Haute-Corse), Mr. Berville felt that it was necessary “adapting to the consequences of climate change, better prevention to better protect the population”.
Buoys at sea mid-2023
On Wednesday the Council of Ministers had recorded the upcoming acquisition of five meteorological buoys to “strengthen our anticipation capacities”. These buoys will be at sea in mid-2023, said the Secretary of State, explaining that it took “time to build them”. The buoys will be installed, in consultation with scientists and maritime stakeholders, “neither too close nor too far from the Corsican coast”.
Hervé Berville also indicated that “the State is ready to support the community of Corsica to strengthen the safety of navigation and infrastructure, in particular ports and light moorings”.