On June 19, 2021, the south of Aisne suffered a hailstorm the size of pétanque balls, leaving dozens of municipalities affected.
The roofs of the 115 houses, the town hall and the church of La Chapelle-sur-Chézy, 283 inhabitants, had been devastated.
It took a year, thanks to a strong mobilization of the confederation of crafts and small construction companies in the Aisne, tile manufacturers, state services and insurance, for almost all roofs are new.
The town hall has been functional for three weeks.
Work is still in progress on a single house and on the church.
“I had 15°C in the house”
“There was a great solidarity of artisans who came from neighboring departments, informs the mayor, Patricia Loiseau, who struggled like a lion for her town.
Admittedly, there were shortages but everything was done to find tiles.
Some factories worked without interruption.
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But for some families the winter was complicated: “I was 15°C in the house, says Patricia Loiseau.
Roof, placo, floors, heating… The work was completed in February.
Their amount is 100,000 euros.
I was lucky to be able to count on a company providing all building trades.
Others still have their interiors to redo.
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Read also“Hailstones as big as golf balls”: significant damage in the Loire after the storms
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, had come to the neighboring town of Chézy-sur-Marne three times.
A dedicated sub-prefect had been appointed at Château-Thierry to act as intermediaries with insurers.
A cell always remains active.
There remains an engraved trauma: “I think very strongly of the last affected municipalities, she confides.
We, as soon as big black clouds appear in the sky, we are afraid.
The worst thing is that we will increasingly have to endure this kind of storms…”