Several mini-tornadoes cause significant damage in northern France
Eva Deschamps / October 25, 2022
A "mini-tornado" hit Conty, near Amiens in the Somme, on Sunday evening, and a similar "violent phenomenon" hit dozens of houses and ripped off roofs in Bihucourt, in the Pas-de-Calais.
There was a mini-tornado on the sector of Conty, with many material damages, and a point of situation is being carried out, but at this stage, no victim" is to be deplored, indicated to the AFP the prefecture of the Somme.
Several infrastructures and houses have been damaged" in this commune and in Ô-de-Selle, she said later, counting "about sixty buildings" in total. "Ten homes have to be rehoused" and "several dozen" others have been deprived of electricity.
The fire department of Pas-de-Calais reported "a large localized meteorological phenomenon in the town of Bihucourt in particular", but also in "the towns of Ervillers and Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt" at around 19:00.
We have about thirty interventions, about forty houses impacted, some of which have had their roofs torn off", they detailed, without using the word "tornado". "Many firefighters are on site to carry out the protection of property," they said.
In an update around 21:00 on Sunday, the prefecture of Pas-de-Calais said that this "episode of strong winds" has caused "a slight injury", cut traffic in Ervillers and caused "an accident involving a truck on the A1, at the town of Saint-Léger.
In Bihucourt, it required "the rehousing of about 150 inhabitants. The mayor opened the village hall to take care of the inhabitants. Trees and electricity poles have fallen on the road, presenting a danger," she continued.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reacted on Twitter, expressing his "solidarity with the inhabitants of the affected communes", and describing the phenomenon as a "tornado" in the Pas-de-Calais.
The prefecture of the North also reported, on Twitter, "power cuts ».
The storms were also violent in the Eure region, where firefighters reported "62 interventions", requiring the relocation of five adults and five children. They also mentioned four interventions for "threat of fire or explosion" and four falls of electric cables.
The Somme, the North, the Pas-de-Calais and the Eure were placed Sunday in yellow vigilance to the storms by Meteo France, while 20 other departments were them in vigilance "orange".
Météo France had warned of the risk "of violent gusts of wind which can exceed 100 km/h, of big hail and strong intensities of precipitation ».
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