Bad weather: major damage in three departments of northern France after violent storms

In Pas-de-Calais, Eure and Somme, roofs were torn off. The Pas-de-Calais prefecture has identified one injured person. This Sunday at the end of the afternoon, violent storms broke out in the Somme, Pas-de-Calais and Eure, three departments which had no not been placed on orange vigilance for thunderstorms by Météo-France, but on yellow vigilance. One person was slightly injured in Pas-de-Calais, according to the prefecture. Significant damage in Bihucourt Many images shared on social networks show significant damage, including red brick houses, typical of northern France, completely devastated. Other videos show the formation of major wind-related phenomena. In the town of Bihucourt (Pas-de-Calais), the damage is considerable. Houses were destroyed, their debris blocking the road. The roof of the church was also torn off. On the roads, overturned vehicles were visible. “I thought we were going to die with my boyfriend. It rumbled everywhere with the sound of continuous thunder. An hour after the tornado circled above my house, I was still shaking”, testified to our colleagues from La Voix du Nord, a resident of Bihucourt. Gérald Darmanin evokes his “solidarity” Elsewhere in the Pas-de-Calais, the firefighters also mentioned interventions in the communes of Ervillers and Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin reacted on Twitter, expressing his “solidarity with the inhabitants of the affected municipalities”, and describing the phenomenon as a “tornado” in Pas-de-Calais. The prefecture du Nord also reported, on Twitter, “power cuts”. “Mini-tornado” in the SommeIn Amiens, in the Somme, powerful gusts of wind and hailstones were observed. The city’s drainage system could not cope with the heavy rains, and some streets were flooded. In the same department, in Conty, the destruction is significant. As the BFMTV special correspondent on the spot was able to see, the school playground did not withstand the weather. The village hall was opened to allow the victims to take refuge.”There was a mini-tornado in the Conty sector, with a lot of material damage, and a situation update is being carried out, but at this stage, no victim” is to be deplored, indicated the prefecture of the Somme. Finally, in the Eure, in Boulleville, gusts at 130 km / h were measured. A farmer, owner of an orchard, said: “we had a semblance of a tornado, and 50 trees were knocked down by the wind”. Firefighters intervened 62 times in the department.