Meteo France lifted the orange alert to the winds, triggered by the passage of storm Leiv for all departments. 250,000 homes were without electricity early afternoon but things are gradually returning to normal. They are no more than about 60 000 this Saturday night. 2000 Enedis technicians are hard at work.
Wind gusts to 148 km / h unusable schools roof ripped, cut railways, up 260,000 homes without electricity: Leiv announced storm “exceptional”, has hit the southwest Saturday morning causing damage and disruption.
Up to 148 km/h
The orange alert that still prevailed in early afternoon to six departments of the Centre and East Central was lifted just before 4pm, while Leiv, is shifting to the east of the country was gradually losing its intensity.
Earlier Saturday, the departments of the Atlantic Southwest were awakened by squalls of torn tiles, falls bins and slammin shutters. The Aquitaine coast, gusts were recorded at 148 km/h in Cap Ferret (Gironde), 144 km/h in Royan (Charente-Maritime) and up to 128 km/h in inland Cognac (Charente), 118 km/h in Chateauroux, or 117 km/h in the streets of Bordeaux.
155,000 electricity still without homes
According Enedis (ex ERDF), at least 260 000 households were without electricity Saturday, mainly in New Aquitaine and Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, in the wake of Leiv. The situation has improved over the day but 60,000 homes, especially Aquitaine, should remain disconnected in the late evening, according Enedis, which mobilized 2,000 technicians in the field.
Point de situation tempête #LEIV à 16h : plus de la moitié des foyers touchés en Nouvelle Aquitaine réalimentés #ServicePublic pic.twitter.com/7mxV3vtoIL
— Enedis (@enedis) February 4, 2017
950 firefighters interventions in Gironde
Firefighters intervened over 950 times in Gironde, Charente and Charente-Maritime, where Leiv blew stronger, but mainly to falling trees, power lines, dozens of secondary roads or cut secondary roads, roofs or torn signage, and relief to the person, not serious.
At Lacanau (Gironde), a tree fell on a car whose driver was able to escape unscathed. Four road accidents related to falling trees were reported in Gironde, causing no injuries.
Rail traffic disrupted
Rail traffic was disrupted by cons was strongly, the network cut into more than ten points by trees or various obstacles. They blocked two TGV in open track, in Gironde and Charente-Maritime, and retained in other stations, sometimes causing delays of up to four hours. Traffic returned to normal in the afternoon, according to SNCF despite three lines still suspended: Bordeaux-Le Verdon, Royan and Saintes-Angoulême-Saintes, served by bus.
In Bourcefranc-le-Chapus, near the island of Oléron (Charente-Maritime), the roof of a school was torn (picture), and that a damaged mother. Both establishments will open Monday, but the municipality will organize the reception of students, according to the prefecture.
“Marcel” expected Sunday
On Sunday, a third depression -the third consecutive within four-days, “Marcel” was expected on the Atlantic coast, but of lesser intensity, with winds of 100-110 km/h.
Strong waves were still expected on the coast, but the impact “submersion” lessened by small tidal coefficients (less than 60). According to Meteo-France, after a lull in the night, the west wind will again be supported Sunday blowing at 80/90 km/h in the morning on the Atlantic coast, locally 100/120 km/h near noon between Charentes and Landes.
The lorry restriction traffic measures on the national network, which had stopped 2,300 trucks since midnight in Nouvelle Aquitaine, were lifted in mid-day Saturday, but parks and gardens were to remain closed on Sunday in several cities, including Bordeaux and La Rochelle.
