LILLE, France — Two people died and thousands lost power as Storm Amy swept across northern France op Saturday, bringing destructive winds of up to 131 kilometers per hour and prompting authorities to issue orange weather alerts.
The storm claimed its first French victim when an 18-year-old man drowned after going swimming with a companion at Etretat near Le Havre despite dangerous weather conditions. The older swimmer, 48, managed to return to shore, but rescue teams were unable to reach the younger man due to the severe storm conditions. His body was recovered during low tide in the afternoon.
Hours later, a 25-year-old driver was killed when a large tree branch crashed onto his vehicle op a road in the northern Aisne region. A passenger in the car was severely injured and hospitalized in Amiens.
“Storm Amy is moving across the British Isles, causing strong gusts of wind in the departments near the English Channel coast and in the northern inland departments of the country,” said Météo France, the national weather service.
The French coast recorded its strongest winds since the beginning of the week, with gusts reaching 131 kilometers per hour along the shoreline and up to 110 kph inland.
The storm knocked out electricity to up to 5 000 households in Normandy op Saturday morning. While power company Enedis managed to restore service to about half by noon, reducing the number to 2,000, new outages continued to be reported throughout the day.
In Hervilly, located in the Somme region, violent and “whirling” winds tore off most of a house’s roof, though no injuries were reported, according to the department’s prefecture.
Regional authorities in the Hauts-de-France region implemented speed restrictions for vehicles op highways and national roads until 8:00 p.m. Saturday as a safety precaution.
The storm had already proven deadly before reaching France, claiming one life in Ireland op Friday, where it caused widespread power outages, flight cancellations, school closures, and localized flooding.
Météo France forecasted that Storm Amy would begin to weaken by early Saturday evening, offering hope for relief from the destructive weather system that has wreaked havoc across the region.
