the images of the damage, dozens of houses affected

PICTURES. The winds were particularly violent this Sunday, October 23 in the Hauts-de-France region. The village of Bihucourt, south of Arras, was hit by a tornado which destroyed several buildings. The same phenomenon hit the village of Conty in the Somme.

[Mis à jour le 24 octobre 2022 à 10h11] It is a very rare meteorological phenomenon in France, but which has caused considerable damage: on Sunday October 23, a tornado hit the town of Bihucourt, near Arras. At the end of the afternoon, the weather conditions deteriorated rapidly, the wind turned into a phenomenon of incredible strength. The report carried out this Monday, October 24 is unprecedented: “We have almost 100 homes out of 150 which have been badly affected. Some houses are razed, collapsed, there are torn roofs”, indicated the mayor of Bihucourt, who has a little less than 400 inhabitants. “The church is partly destroyed. […] All axes of the municipality are cut. I have never seen that. We see that on TV, but there, it’s mind-blowing and it happened in a few seconds”, was moved the city councilor at the microphone of France info last night.

The images of the damage from the tornado clearly reflect the amazement that may have gripped the inhabitants. “The phone rang. People were crying on the phone describing the situation,” added the mayor. France Blue collected the testimony of a resident, Didier, whose house was partially destroyed. “Thirty seconds. And then the tornado, and nothing more. Everything exploded everywhere, the roofs blown away. By the time I looked out the window, everything was demolished. I’ve never seen that, entire roofs go through the sky” And to add, obviously shocked by what he experienced: “I saw everything fly. The garbage cans were flying in the sky, the roof tiles were also flying. on his house. Frankly, I lived through something difficult. I still have chills from it. It’s really incredible”.

Images of the tornado in Bihucourt

About 150 people were affected by the disaster, all of whom were accommodated for the night with friends or family. A psychological assistance unit has been set up for the inhabitants of the village.

A tornado in the Somme

The village of Conty in the Somme was also hit by a tornado. No casualties were to be deplored but the material damage was substantial. Residents are still in shock, many are “stunned” by the violence of the phenomenon. A resident of the town interviewed by BFM TV described the events, moved, “it’s amazement this morning”.

This meteorological phenomenon was preceded by heavy thunderstorms and strong gusts of wind in many municipalities in the northern region of France. Firefighters had to intervene on several sites in the region.