Météo France had placed the Meuse on orange alert for violent winds this Monday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., because of storm Floriane, with forecasts of wind gusts of 90 to 100 km/h, and locally peaks at 105 to 100 km/h. approximately 110 km/h. Forecasts which turned out to be accurate since gusts of 112 km/h were recorded by Météo France in Vassincourt or at 107 km in northern Meuse.
Firefighters carried out eight interventions in different municipalities such as Verdun, Stenay and Saint-Mihiel, for displaced tiles on roofs, damaged chimneys or even electrical wires lying on the ground (following falling trees). According to firefighters and police, no injuries were reported.
Many trees were uprooted (the soil being waterlogged) or broken by the force of the wind, and fell onto traffic routes. The ADA (departmental planning agency) has been called upon around thirty times, both in the North of Meuse and in the south to clear obstructed roads, as highlighted by the Meuse roads and development department. This concerns the departmental road network.
The prefecture, for its part, had imposed traffic restrictions on the A4, the RN4 and the RN135, with lower speeds and overtaking bans for heavy goods vehicles.
Among the material accidents noted, a tree fell on a car in Nettancourt, without causing any casualties.
Roads cut due to flooding
The roads and development department invites motorists to remain cautious in the days to come, as weakened trees could give way. Furthermore, several roads are currently cut due to flooding, linked to the weather conditions of recent months (inforoutes.meuse.fr), in the Orne basin, in Amel-sur-l'Étang, towards Velosnes, Busy (rue du Paquis), Commercy, etc.
Here again, the greatest caution is required. “You should not try to pass because with only 30 centimeters of water, if there is current, a car could be swept away,” insists the Meuse roads and development department.
The strong winds on Monday caused material damage here and there, such as a small private chicken coop which flew away or garden furniture which did not survive, smashing against the facade of the house.
Finally, power cuts have been recorded in several municipalities in the department. At 4 p.m., Enedis established “the number of customers and electricity meters affected at 2,000”, meaning 2,000 homes or businesses.
At 6:30 p.m., there were 1,000 left, in the areas of Consenvoye, Gercourt, Pillon, Seigneulles and Saint-Hilaire-en-Woëvre. “All the outages, a majority caused by falling trees, have been identified and should be resolved this evening [de ce 6 janvier] », assured Enedis, this Monday evening. Crews were hard at work restoring power.
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