It’s not often you gaze upon a super-yacht and breathe a sigh of relief that you’re not on it! But with Tuesday’s thunder storms in the South of France, strong winds and waves created havoc at sea. Storm warnings were issued, prompting most yachts to take shelter in ports along the coast. But a few, like the one pictured here off Antibes, remained at sea — visibly battling the rough waters.
Watch Battling the French Riviera storm in rocky seas
Saint-Tropez airport closed as storms caused damage
Severe storms caused extensive damage across the South of France on Tuesday morning, particularly in the Var and Nice hinterland, before the most active cells moved out to sea, according to the Côte d’Azur’s weather service (meteo).
At famous French Riviera tourism resort Saint-Tropez the local airport was underwater because of an overflow from La Môle which suffered a major flash flood, with the level rising by at least 6 metres in less than two hours.
Lightning strikes
The Keraunos Observatory (which records tornado and violent storm activity in France) said the electrical activity was strong, with over 400 lightning flashes in five minutes at one time (before 9am). In total, the observatory counted over 7,000 lightning flashes in the Var and almost 1,500 lightning strikes in the Alpes Maritimes (Nice recorded 110).
Tragedy
Tragically three people died in Vidauban and Le Lavandou (which is just 30km west of Saint-Tropez). One was the passenger of a car, and the other two were an elderly couple who were attempting to evacuate their home.
The meteo said that 50 people were rescued, and that the major floods in Lavandou had resulted in a road collapse and landslides in the area (including in Bormes-les-Mimosas). Hundreds of homes along the coast also lost access to power and water.
Lavandou mayor Gil Bernardi said: “It was a truly violent, nasty, incomprehensible phenomenon.”
Community came together in Lavandou
Bernardi was praised by many for his quick and level-headed response to the natural disaster. One former resident posted photos of the damage, including a picture of their old home after the deluge. They said: “Hard to imagine that this place could one day turn into a nightmare” and added “thank you Mayor Gil Bernardi and all the mobilized teams around him who are doing their best to help.”
Emergency teams were deployed from nearby towns, even Cannes, to help.
At the end of a “very trying day”, the mayor welcomed the Minister of Interior who came to offer the state’s support to the devastated community.
The mayor thanked firefighters, police, rescue workers, municipals services, and the local companies who “spontaneously helped”.
