“Leiv”, the storm “outstanding,” breath on the South-West ladepeche.fr

A panel of advertising ripped off by the storm on February 4, 2017 at Rochefort in the south-west of France, XAVIER LEOTY / AFP

wind gusts to 148 km / h on the coast of gironde, to 117 km / h in the streets of Bordeaux, the 250,000 households without electricity: “Leiv” : a storm heralded as “outstanding” blast from Saturday morning on the South-West, where three departments are in vigilance red.

Falls of arbes, electrical lines littering the ground, roads cut off, scaffold to the ground : nearly three hours after the beginning of the passage of Leiv, only material damage were reported.

No injuries had been reported in the early morning in the three affected departments : Charente, Charente-Maritime and the Gironde. The three departments have been placed in red for “high winds” from 5: 00 a.m. until 13: 00 on the passage of Leiv. The winds, according to Météo-France could reach 160 km/h in places.

“The intensity of the weather event announced by Weather is confirmed”, a summary of the prefecture of the Gironde in a first point after 6: 00. “Weather in line with expectations”, informed shortly after the prefect of Charente-Maritime and Eric Milestone. After 8: 00 am, the wind had considerably abated in the Charente-Maritime and Gironde.

According to a point-of-Enedis (ex-ERDF), more than 250,000 homes were without electricity in the Gironde, and the Charentes, as well as a thousand in the Moors, according to the prefecture of this department. Enedis was informed to have doubled as of Friday, the numbers mobilized by weathering. Of 200 to 400 additional people were required for the Force of their emergency response.

On the coast, wind gusts were recorded at 148 km/h at Cap-Ferret (Gironde), 144 km/h in Royan (Charente-Maritime), 117 km/h in Bordeaux and Messanges in the Landes, one of the four departments placed in vigilance orange for “waves-submersion” with the Charente-Maritime, the Gironde and Vendée.

- Tree-makers, and other accidents

Around 7: 30 am, the firefighters had recorded more than 140 interventions in the Charente, in the Charente-Maritime, Gironde and in Vienna, mainly for fallen trees and power lines, axes cut, and the relief to the person without special gravity.

Lacanau (Gironde), a tree fell on a car in which the motorist was able to get out in time, indemme, according to the prefecture. Four road accidents related to falling trees have been identified, without being injured. The department has recorded around 8: 30 a dozen rural roads cut off by fallen trees.

a total of 16 departments of the South-West, Centre and Centre-East have been placed in vigilance orange for “high winds” : Allier, Cher, Corrèze, Creuse, Dordogne, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Landes, Loire, Puy-de-Dome, deux-Sèvres, Vendée, Vienne, Haute-Vienne, Nièvre, and Saône-et-Loire. The end event is scheduled for Saturday at 16: 00.

the strong waves of the order of 8 to 10 metres were expected along the coast. However, the small coefficients of the tide (61) “will weigh the impact waves/flooding on the coast”, according to Météo-France. It provides a phenomenon that is “well below” the Xynthia storm of February 2010, which had hit the west facade (Loire-Atlantique, Vendée, Charente-Maritime and the Pyrenees) and 53 deaths.

In anticipation of the high winds, the movement of heavy vehicles was prohibited since midnight on the national network in the region New-Aquitaine, on the ring road in bordeaux, and since 5: 00 on the Aquitaine bridge in Bordeaux. 1.700 weight louds were locked on the areas of motorways and pathways involved in this effect.

In the Gironde, the transportation to and from school were suspended on Saturday morning, as well as the movement of trams in Bordeaux, while the schools remained closed. Accommodation centres should be opened in the day. The prefectures had called for a maximum limitation of travel in the morning.

The SNCF has informed on Friday evening that it would be the result on Saturday morning to reconnaissance of routes, on several lines of the Atlantic coast in Nova Aquitaine and pays de Loire. There will be TER without passengers, with agents equipped with chainsaws on either side, or placed at strategic points.

These trains of “recognition” are intended to “maintain as far as possible the traffic”, on the day of departure on holiday (Zone C). According to one point of the prefecture of the Gironde estuary shortly before 8: 00 A.M. prefecture traffic SNCF was not affected.

Sunday, a third storm of lesser intensity –the third year in a row in the space of four days– “Marcel”, was also expected on the atlantic coast, with winds of 100-110 km/h.