It was a disillusioning tomorrow, those two days after Christmas 1999, when France was swept by two gusty storms, named Lothar and Martin. All those who lived on December 26 and 27, 1999 in Indre-et-Loire remember the violence of what has since been called the “storm of the century”.
The storm of December 26 and 27 caused damage to high and medium voltage pylons, directly impacting more than 60,000 homes on December 26 in Indre-et-Loire.
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In less than 48 hours, two exceptionally violent depressions “of the meteorological bomb type”, according to an expression then used by the experts, fell on France, causing in their wake the death of 92 people and material damage and considerable natural resources.
On December 26, from 1 a.m. until the afternoon, wind gusts reaching up to 130 km/h blew across Touraine, from west to east.
28,000 claims for compensation in Touraine
Deciduous and coniferous forests decimated, century-old trees uprooted in parks, roofs of houses and agricultural sheds blown away, market garden greenhouses pulverized, power lines cut, vehicles crushed by trees or walls: in total, the overall bill amounted to 300 million francs at the time, or 45 million euros today.
A compensation commission set up at the prefecture was used in the following weeks to respond to the 28,000 requests for compensation made. For the people of Tourange, the average estimate for losses was estimated between 10,000 and 12,000 francs at the time. Insurers were overwhelmed during the following months.
The forest suffered enormous damage, unheard of: a total of 200,000 m3 of wood was destroyed. It took several years to remove the lying wood.
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The army will be requisitioned to help the victims. In particular through the loan of generators, but also by assisting livestock breeders, by participating in the cutting of trees or by equipping the village hall of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps with 250 camp beds for train wrecks.
EDF employees were put to the test. On December 26, at 2 p.m., 61,000 homes were without electricity. But in total, with the second storm of the 27th which hit the south of the department, 120,000 homes were impacted. For four days, 280 EDF agents remained on the ground to restore power. The repair work will last until May 2000.
The army had to be called in to repair the damage in the forests or restore electricity.
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In France, this natural disaster was responsible for the death of 92 people. Luckily, no casualties were reported in Indre-et-Loire, apart from the passenger of a TGV forced to stop at Saint-Pierre-des-Corps station, an 86-year-old man, found dead the next morning below the railway line.
This storm contributed to accelerating the process of modernizing Météo-France's forecast systems, with the implementation of the vigilance systems known today.
This meteorological vigilance map from Météo-France has since become part of the daily lives of the French. It was even expanded after the heatwave of 2003, but also in anticipation of the risks of heavy rainfall and flooding, with the Vigicrues network.
Considerable damage
> 200.000 m3 wood on the ground. The gusts of wind wreaked havoc in the department's forests and parks. At the Richelieu estate, 500 trees were brought down, including 70 century-old cedars. In the Chinon forest, the 20,000 m3 of wood that had to be cleared represented a year's harvest. Many large trees will also be found lying in Castelrenaudais, in Bléré, in the Amboise region, notably in Lussault-sur-Loire, Mosnes, and in Pocé-sur-Cisse, on the property of a certain Mick Jagger! In total, we will deplore the loss of 200,000 m3 of tree wood. Or an annual harvest in Touraine.
> Trains disrupted. On the day after Christmas, all rail traffic in the country was disrupted. The Paris-Bordeaux TGV line was directly impacted due to power lines cut by the violent winds.
> 1,500 calls to the firefighters. This is another record recorded during the “double effect” passage of storms Lothar and Martin: the Indre-et-Loire firefighters received 1,500 calls in two days. Particularly for blown roofs. The department's roofers will be called upon for several months to repair the damage.
> Traumatized animals. Among the collateral victims of this storm were livestock, entire herds of which were traumatized by the wrath of the heavens. Like in this goat farm in Jaulnay where 150 goats no longer gave milk for a month after the storm.
