The wind did not stop blowing during the night from Saturday December 7 to Sunday December 8, 2024, and the gusts linked to the storm Darragh are still present this Sunday. Since Friday afternoon, three of the five Normandy departments have been placed on strong wind orange alert by Météo France: Calvados, Manche and Seine-Maritime. Those from Orne and Eure were on yellow alert. As of 7 p.m. Saturday, all departments were downgraded from orange to yellow. But in addition to the wind, there will be precipitation this Sunday. We take stock of the situation.
Read also: Storm Darragh. Up to 159 km/h… Strong gusts of wind swept across Normandy this Saturday
Some material damage to report
Branches and trees fallen to the ground, cables torn out… The storm Darragh did not give much respite to the emergency and security services this weekend. The Calvados gendarmerie group recorded fifty-three calls, between 6 p.m. Saturday evening and 7 a.m. Sunday.
In Manche, 298 firefighters have carried out 259 interventions since Saturday morning, underlines the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis) of the department. “No major facts to report. These are common interventions related to strong wind gusts. »
Read also: Storm Darragh. Activities canceled, roads cut… The results of a hectic weekend in the Channel
In Granville, for example, a town on the Manche coast particularly exposed to storms, the street furniture suffered a little from the violent winds. Up to 137 km/h were recorded yesterday at Pointe du Roc.
In Avranches, a few branches fell in the rue du Général de Gaulle. Technical services intervened on Saturday evening to clear the road as quickly as possible.
In Pirou-Plage, on the Coutançais coast, sand invaded the streets of the seafront. Sunday morning, Romuald Maudouit, manager of the restaurant Les Embruns, began to clean the terrace of his establishment, which looked a bit like a beach bar…
In a press release, the Manche prefecture made a point of recalling the resources deployed on the ground: “340 firefighters in intervention and on heightened alert, 100 people from Enedis deployed on the ground and in support to restore the electricity network, 210 personnel from the national gendarmerie to secure the roads and intervene in an emergency, 35 people from the national police mobilized via police emergency teams for rapid interventions and 45 departmental council agents to secure road infrastructure and intervene on secondary road closures. » She also recommends limiting travel as much as possible, being extremely vigilant against falling objects or trees, never touching fallen electrical wires or damaged Christmas decorations and placing generators only outside buildings.
In Seine-Maritime, Sdis also took stock. “Since 8 a.m. yesterday morning, firefighters have carried out 125 interventions linked to the weather phenomenon throughout the department. Mainly trees lying on public roads or on electrical wires and building elements threatening to fall onto public roads. No injuries were reported. » Since this Sunday morning, firefighters have carried out 47 interventions linked to bad weather.
Stoppage of rail traffic: a recovery hoped for on Monday
Due to the storm, no trains are running today on the TER Nomad network. This was already the case yesterday, Saturday. The SNCF communicated on Friday, in anticipation of falling trees on the railway tracks. This Sunday, the teams of lumberjacks on board the reconnaissance trains are carrying out work to clear the tracks. SNCF indicates a resumption of rail traffic on Monday December 9, 2024, “as soon as possible”.
More information here: Storm Darragh. No trains in Normandy this weekend: when will traffic resume?
000 homes deprived of electricity in Normandy, in the evening
Although these incidents did not cause major damage, many homes were still without electricity on Sunday morning. On Saturday evening, the Manche prefecture indicated that 5,000 homes no longer had power. There were 7,000 this Sunday, according to Enedis, manager of the electricity distribution network. In Calvados, 4,000 homes were without electricity; 3,000 in Seine-Maritime; 500 in Eure and 500 in Orne.
At 8 p.m. on Sunday evening, 4,000 homes were still without electricity in Normandy: 1,700 in the departments of Seine-Maritime and Eure, and 2,300 in Manche, Calvados and Orne. Return to normal expected tomorrow afternoon.
To report a breakdown or monitor the situation, a number: 09 72 67 50 + the department number (for example, 50 for Manche).
See also: VIDEO. Despite the storm, the parade and the arrival of Santa Claus took place in Caen
Wind and floods this Sunday
The return to calm is only expected for Sunday evening, before a real lull on Monday December 9, 2024. All day long, the wind continued to blow across Normandy, accompanied by heavy precipitation in places.
The reference website Meteociel.fr recorded, this Sunday at 10 a.m., 100 km/h at Pointe du Roc in Granville (Manche), as well as towards Cherbourg (Manche) or Port-en-Bessin (Calvados). In Caen, winds of 77 km/h are recorded, just like in Alençon (Orne). Fécamp, in Seine-Maritime, is still particularly affected with 124 km/h recorded. In the Eure, the gusts are a little less present with notably 55 km/h recorded in Muids or 64 km/h in Évreux.
Floods were notably reported in the town of Pont-l'Évêque, in Calvados. This Sunday, December 8, there was a rise in the waters of the Touques and the Calonne. The greenway and the fields behind the town hall were flooded.
“The situation is, for us, almost under control. We observe a decline in the Calonne. And on Touques, it seems to have stabilized for an hour. The water was higher around 10 a.m. said Mayor Yves Deshayes at noon at the Pont-L'Évêque emergency center. “We carried out reconnaissance operations. We are in a situation of anticipation. In addition to the firefighters from the Pont-l'Évêque rescue center, we have reinforcements from the neighboring centers of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives, Moyaux and Honfleur. underlined Captain Frédéric Gilles de Caen.
Read also: IN PICTURES. Storm and heavy rain: La Touques came out of its bed in Pont-l'Évêque
Further south, in Mézidon-Vallée-d'Auge, several flooded roads were blocked, the level of watercourses was high and overflowed in several places. A man, aged 66, was found drowned this Sunday, December 8, 2024, in a river in Mesnil-Mauger, delegated commune of Mézidon-Vallée-d'Auge. The circumstances seem accidental. An investigation will be opened.
Read also: After the Darragh storm, flooding in Beuvron-en-Auge
A risk of flooding this Monday?
The wind gusts should begin to weaken this Sunday evening, before a lull this Monday.
However, Météo France has classified the five Normandy departments on yellow alert for floods. To consult the state of the waterways near you: www.vigicrues.gouv.fr/territoire/4.
