“
In five minutes, it was hell
”: hit early Thursday by violent and sudden storms which killed five people, Corsica was preparing to face the elements again during the night, especially on its west coast.
These last storms were finally not very active, and the island of Beauty should find the sun on Friday afternoon.
From Fort Brégançon, Emmanuel Macron chaired an interministerial crisis meeting by videoconference.
Le Figaro
takes stock of the latest developments in the situation in Corsica.
Calm on Friday after a deadly Thursday
While the tourist season is in full swing, Corsica experienced new thunderstorms overnight from Thursday to Friday, but these remain "
not very active
", indicates Météo-France.
After the violent episode of Thursday morning, the island went back to orange vigilance at 9 p.m., announcing a more lasting rainy-stormy episode whose alert runs until 10 a.m. this Friday.
Read alsoCorsica bereaved by storms of unusual suddenness
This Friday morning, “
active thunderstorms are still forming at sea
”, and should shift at the start of the day.
They “
can give significant electrical activity, high rainfall intensities, from 40 to 60 mm in a short time, hail and strong gusts of wind close to 80 km / h
”, according to the meteorological organization.
“
The coastal areas are the most exposed
”, she adds, “
especially the western facade and Balagne, but without excluding the eastern coast
”.
The Isle of Beauty should then find beautiful sunny spells in the afternoon, according to
La Chaîne Météo
*.
A balance sheet of five dead and twenty wounded
The death toll from Thursday's violent storms rose Thursday evening to five dead on the Mediterranean island, with the deaths of a fisherman in Girolata and a kayaker in Erbalunga.
At the end of the morning, the prefecture of Haute-Corse had already announced the death of a 46-year-old man in Calvi, victim of a tree falling on his bungalow.
In Corse-du-Sud, a 13-year-old girl, hit by a falling tree, and a 72-year-old woman, by the fall of the roof of a straw hut, also lost their lives.
Twenty other people were injured, four of whom are urgently needed.
Read alsoCorsica: what we know about the victims of deadly storms
Several campsites evacuated
Several campsites in Corse-du-Sud have been evacuated in anticipation of new storms.
In Haute-Corse, 5,400 people “
housed in the most exposed campsites (Calvi, Calenzana, Aregno, Algajola, Corbara and Monticello) have been brought to safety
”, detailed the prefecture in a press release.
During his visit to Sagone, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that a state of natural disaster could be declared as early as Wednesday.
The ministry also called on Twitter the inhabitants of the island to be “
vigilant
”: “
Watch the rising waters and stay informed
”.
Macron chaired a crisis unit on the measures to be taken
Emmanuel Macron chaired an interministerial crisis unit on Thursday evening to anticipate the measures to be taken in Corsica.
From Fort Brégançon, in the Var, he supervised a situation update by videoconference joined by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.
Read alsoStorms in Corsica: how to explain this episode of exceptional violence
"
We will obviously have the support measures to take for people and for the territory
," said the Head of State, reiterating his "
thought for the families of the victims
".
The Ministers of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, of the Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu, of the Armies Sébastien Lecornu, of Health François Braun and the Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, intervened remotely.
Emmanuel Macron chaired a crisis meeting from his vacation spot in Brégançon, with Élisabeth Borne.
POOL / REUTERS
The Prime Minister activated the interministerial crisis unit on Thursday afternoon as new storms and waterspouts are expected overnight from Thursday to Friday in Corsica.
“
We are closely monitoring the operations taking place on land and at sea
,” tweeted Elisabeth Borne, in reference to the rescue resources mobilized.
*
The Weather Channel belongs to the Figaro group.