“Five minutes was hellFierce and sudden thunderstorms hit early Thursday morning, killing five people, with Corsica still battered on Friday. After a few thunderstorms overnight, the threat moved away from Beauty Island this Friday afternoon. Moving on the island Thursday evening, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin declared a “state of natural disaster” from August 24. Emmanuel Macron of Fort Breganson led the interagency crisis meeting via video conference. Le Figaro summarizes the latest developments in the situation in Corsica.
A quiet Friday left 4,800 homes still without power after a deadly Thursday
Thursday morning, phenomenon “exceptional” fell on the island with strong and unexpected winds of over 200 km/h, which caused enormous damage in just a few hours. “Wind of Death”according to the front page of the daily newspaper Corpse-Morning. With the tourist season in full swing, Corsica experienced further thunderstorms between Thursday and Friday night, but they were not very active. After a severe episode on Thursday morning, the island reverted to an orange alert at 9pm, announcing a longer rain-stormy episode, with the alert in effect until 10am this Friday.
Overnight, without significant intervention by the emergency services, thunderstorms once again roared over Ajaccio, causing torrential rain. But as of 10:00 a.m., Météo-France lifted the orange alert on the island. As expected the previous day. “Corsica maintained stormy weather in the morning before a noticeable improvement in the afternoon and a return to sunny weather with westerly winds,” the Weather Channel also detailed, raising its “yellow storm alert.” According to EDF Corse, 4,800 homes were still without power on Friday.
A toll of five dead and twenty wounded
The death toll from the storm rose to five on Thursday evening, killing a fisherman in Girolata and a kayaker in Erbalunga. On Thursday morning, the Haute-Corse prefecture had already announced the death of a 46-year-old man in Calvi who was killed by a falling tree on his bungalow. In Cors-du-Sud, a 13-year-old girl was hit by a falling tree and a 72-year-old woman died when the roof of a thatched house collapsed. Another 20 people were injured, four of whom are in urgent need. “We have some pretty encouraging news.” of the four wounded “Those who were between life and death or whose vital prognosis was involved”On Friday, he welcomed Minister Gerald Darmanini.
On Friday morning, Maritime Prefecture told AFP it had “don’t worry about people (at sea) who have not been heard from and whose family has reported“. But “you should go and check by finding out the jammed or damaged boats, whether the owners were on board and managed to get out on their own by taking shelter, or whether they are not overboard.“. For his part, Gerald Darmanin, traveling on the island, declared that he “Good news for the seriously injured who were between life and death“.
Darmanin has declared a “state of natural disaster” since Wednesday
After arriving in Corsica on Thursday afternoon from the first camp hit by the storms, in Sagon, in Cours-du-Sud, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin visited another disaster-hit camp in Calvi (Haute-Cours) on Friday morning. After a morning visit to the bedside of several wounded at the hospital in Ajaccio. In this facility, emptied of its 700 residents because it still lacks water and electricity, the minister announced that “state of natural disaster“to be decided”from next wednesday“. This status particularly allows for more effective reparations to victims.
Civilian security open investigation
From Calvi, where he was visiting the “La Pinède” camp, Gérald Darmanin emphasized that there was no weather warning on Thursday morning. “It is not allowed to qualify these winds as necessary” who were “absolutely exceptional”. The Minister of Internal Affairs announced a civil security investigation. “The state with its functions will be there to protect over time”the head of state Emmanuel Macron also assured from Bormes-les-Mimosas (Var) at the end of Friday.
On the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the liberation of this village by the allied troops, the president also emphasized. “Unfortunately, these devastating cataclysms threaten to repeat and intensify.” “This is why we will have to review our alarm and security systems”added the head of state, as criticism arose over the late launch of an orange alert by Météo-France on Thursday morning.
Several camps have been evacuated
Several campsites in Cors-du-Sud have been evacuated in anticipation of more thunderstorms between Thursday and Friday night. In total, about 12,500 people from various camps in Corsica “is securedfor the night, according to the prefectures. In Haute-Corse: 5,400 peoplehosted in the most exposed camps (Calvi, Calenzana, Aragon, Algaiola, Corbara and Monticello) provided“, the prefecture elaborates in a press release. In Calvi, the Foreign Legion evacuated entire families of tourists at night using military trucks. Then, by the hundreds, they arrived at schools or sports centers across the island to sleep, some on their own tent mattresses, some on camp cots set up for the occasion. The Ministry of Internal Affairs called on the islanders to stay on Twitter.watchful“:”Watch for rising waters and stay informed“.
Macron led the crisis unit on the measures to be taken
Emmanuel Macron chaired an interdepartmental crisis unit on Thursday evening to predict the measures to be taken in Corsica. From Fort Breganson in War, he monitored the situation update via video conference, joined by Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne. “We will obviously have support measures to take for people and space.– said the head of state, reaffirming his.to think for the families of the victims“. Interior Ministers Gérald Darmanin, Ecological Transition Minister Christophe Bechu, Army Sébastien Lecornu, Health Minister François Browne and Marine Affairs Secretary Hervé Berville intervened remotely.
*The Weather Channel belongs to the Figaro group.
Source: Le Figaro
